Secrets of the Heart
by Leonardo1885
Summary: Sequel to Bring Him Home. Donatello wonders if he'll find someone who is meant for him. He's about to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone I know it has been a while since I've written, with the exception of my Christmas story that is. I've been working really hard to get this story written, and I'm still working on it but I'm pretty well into it now so I thought I could go ahead and start posting it at least. I'll try to get a couple chapters posted a week. One Sundays and one either Wednesday or Thursday depending on how the week is looking. I've got a lot going on in RL right now but I'm hoping I can be consistent with it. Anyway hope you enjoy. **

**Secrets of the Heart**

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, Donny!"

Don scowled, annoyed and marked his place in his book with his finger as his youngest brother popped his head into Donatello's lab. His eyes were bright behind his orange mask, his characteristic smile firmly in place.

"Wanna come watch a movie with us? I already made the popcorn!" Michelangelo seemed oblivious to his brother's annoyance at the interruption in his reading.

"I'm busy, Mike… " Don started to argue. But Michelangelo cut him off before he could form a real excuse.

"Come on, Don, you've been locked up in here for days. Everyone keeps wondering if you are still alive in here."

"Obviously," Donatello muttered.

"Oh, come on, Don… please?" Michelangelo's eyes widened behind his mask, pleading, his smile turning into a puppy dog pout.

Donatello shook his head. "Mike… I just got to the theoretical theory of…. "

"Yeah, yeah, science blah blah… come on, Don. It'll still be there tomorrow."

Donatello frowned.

"Mike? He coming?"

Donatello sighed as a slender blond appeared out of no where next to his brother. Her long soft curls had been unpinned and now fell delicately down her back, a few over her shoulder. Automatically, Michelangelo's arm wound around her waist, holding her close to him.

"Still trying to convince him to put his book of boredom down so he can come watch awesomeness with us."

Melinda's bright blue eyes snapped to Donatello. "Come on, Donny. One night with us won't kill you will it?"

Don sighed. "But if I… "

"Don, the book will still be here. Now come watch the movie with us. You need a break anyway," Melinda said, frowning now. "Come on, everyone's waiting."

Knowing that it was useless to keep trying to argue, Donatello rose with a resigned sigh and put his book down. He followed his brother and his girlfriend out to the living room. He could see that Leo, Splinter, Raphael and his wife Elizabeth were already out there waiting. Elizabeth was pushed up against Raphael's side, a blanket draped around her, with Raphael rubbing one of her shoulders gently. He looked over his shoulder as they approached and smirked.

"Glad ya decided ta join us, Donny. Wondered if ya'd been sittin' on yer lab chair for so long dat it had become a part of ya."

Don rolled his eyes. "Funny."

Raph just shrugged, but chuckled. Elizabeth shook her head but snuggled closer to him.

Donatello frowned as he looked at her. Elizabeth hadn't been looking very well the last few weeks. Donatello had heard her in the bathroom on nights when he was up late working. But she hadn't come to him or anyone else to complain about it. Still, she looked off color, and Donatello was tempted to see if she had a fever, though he had a feeling that Elizabeth wouldn't appreciate that much. Still if she didn't come to him soon, he was going to confront her about it.

Michelangelo, holding Melinda's hand sat down on the couch, making Melinda sit on his right side. Automatically she curled her legs up and pushed into Michelangelo's strong, secure hold.

Donatello watched his two brothers for a long minute, they both looked so content, so happy with their girls. He felt a pang somewhere within his stomach. Remembering the feelings he'd had when they'd met April. Although she had never seen them as anything more than brothers, he hadn't been able to ignore those feelings, and had gone to Splinter to ask him about them.

As time had gone by, however, Donatello realized that he and April would never be more than good friends, with the touch of family mixed in there as well. She was a big sister to him, and she and Casey would always be their closest family friends. Donatello had resigned himself to the fact that they would more than likely always be alone, who, after all would ever see them more than mutant turtles?

But then Raphael had met Elizabeth and everything had changed. First with Raphael. And then for Michelangelo with Melinda. Perhaps, then there was a chance for him as well… some day?

Donatello shook his head, annoyed and sat down next to Leonardo. It was time to stop dreaming. Raphael and Michelangelo had been lucky. But what were the odds that there was anyone else out there who would ever see them for who they were, and not what they were? Donatello didn't have to be a genius to know that the chances were slim. And he couldn't understand why he was letting it bother him so much. After all Leonardo hadn't found anyone either, and it didn't seem to be eating at him.

"Alright," Michelangelo grinned as he picked up the bowl of popcorn and handed it to Melinda for the first handful. "Movie tonight is awesome, nonstop action, combined with… "

Melinda covered Michelangelo's mouth playfully, chuckling gently. "Mikey, just start the movie, honey. I want to see Hugh Jackman's muscles flexing… oh he's so cute… "

Michelangelo pulled back scowling. "Hey… what's wrong with… "

Melinda laughed now, the sound tinkling, warm and pleasant. "Don't worry, Mikey. There's only one man for me." She gently squeezed his arm.

Michelangelo pouted but Raphael just shook his head. "Come on, knucklehead – start da movie already."

Still scowling a little, Michelangelo hit play.

Donatello settled in as the movie began. But he found it hard to concentrate on Michelangelo's idea of a great movie night movie. Even with as action packed as Michelangelo had promised, Donatello's mind wandered.

This wasn't unusual for him, he often found some of the ideas that were constantly popping up in his head hard to suppress. Raphael had dropped his shell cell again when he and Leonardo had gone out on patrol the other night, the casing had shattered and the screen had cracked. The battle shell needed a belt put in, and he wanted to run a few diagnostic tests on some of the other parts as well. Raphael had been complaining that the shell cycle had been making some funny noises when he went out with Casey the other night. And between Leonardo and Michelangelo, though Donatello had his suspicions on what had happened, the microwave needed to be repaired. Donatello had noticed that the security camera in the south tunnel had gone out and knew that that one would have to be at the top of his to do list. Security was always priority. Because without the security cameras, they wouldn't know if someone with ill intentions was getting too close to their lair. He would have to fix it tonight, or tomorrow. It could be a faulty wire, something from inside the sewers could have short circuited it, they'd had a lot of rain fall this year, that could be the reason… or maybe some kind of vermin had eaten its way through the wires. If that was the case he would have to find something more endurable…

He was startled back to his surroundings when Raphael yawned and stood up. "Good movie, Mike. Liked all da action."

Michelangelo grinned. "Thought you would, Raph."

Whoa. The movie was over already? Donatello couldn't remember anything that had happened. Next to him Leonardo shifted and got to his feet. He stretched a little and offered Donatello a hand up, which Donatello took, allowing his brother to pull him to his feet. Leonardo smiled at his brother and headed to the kitchen to make some tea before he retired for the night.

Raphael gently scooped up a now sleeping Elizabeth, nodded to his brothers and headed up to the couple's shared room.

Melinda was leaning against Michelangelo, his arm wrapped around her waist. "I liked it too, especially the part where Hugh Jackman's shirt was off and… " she was stopped as Michelangelo tickled her ribs. "H… hey!" She protested in between giggles.

She let out a squeak as he lifted her right off her feet, cradling her to him. "Who is your hero now?" He asked smirking.

"You even have to ask?" Melinda asked with a smirk as she met Michelangelo's eyes.

Donatello looked away as Michelangelo leaned in for a kiss. The same gut wrenching feeling returning in his belly.

He was happy for his brothers. He really was. But he couldn't deny, even to himself, that he wanted it too. He headed for the kitchen. He needed a cup of coffee. Maybe he'd get a shot of caffeine and head out to the south tunnel to go repair that camera tonight. He'd feel a lot better with it working properly.

Leonardo was still in the kitchen when Donatello came in, waiting for the water to boil, Donatello knew that Leonardo liked having a cup of chamomile tea before he would turn in for the night. It seemed to help his brother settle his usually high strung nerves and allowed him to relax so he could sleep. He smiled as Donatello joined him, but frowned a little when Donatello headed for the coffee pot.

"Don't you think you should get some rest tonight, Donny? You look like you pulled an all nighter again last night. You really need to get some sleep."

"I need to go see what keeps short circuiting that camera in the south tunnel, Leo." Don said as he put some coffee grounds into the coffee maker and started the hot water, then pulled a mug down from the cupboard. "What we don't need is a faulty security system. Not with the Foot activity being what it is lately. I'll feel a lot better once I get it fixed. I might have to find another place to put it depending on what the problem is. I might even have to replace it temporarily, depending on how bad the damage is. And I need to get Raph's shell cell fixed before he heads topside again… "

"Don, you can't fix everything tonight," Leonardo said firmly, his dark brown eyes were studying his brother thoughtfully. "I'll go with you to the south tunnel, you should have backup anyway. "

Donatello opened his mouth to protest, it was just the south tunnel, it wasn't like he was going topside, but then he closed his mouth. There wasn't a point in arguing with Leonardo about it. When Leo made up his mind, there was no changing it. He was more stubborn than Raphael sometimes.

"And the shell cell can wait until tomorrow. Raph isn't going anywhere tonight, he wants to be home with Elizabeth. "

"She doesn't look like she's feeling any better, Leo," Don said, grateful for the change of topic. "I think she should go see a doctor. A human doctor."

"I was talking to Raph about it earlier when Elizabeth was giving Akemi her bath. He told me if she isn't feeling better in a few days that he'd try to get her to go to the doctor," Leonardo said with a slight sigh. "He's really worried about her too."

"Well it could be a prolonged case of gastroenteritis but it's lasted a long time, usually it clears up in just a few days."

"We'll let Raph worry about talking to her about it if she doesn't feel well soon, Don," Leo said looking at his brother pointedly.

Donatello gave a slight nod, Elizabeth could be a bit testy when she didn't feel good, but Raphael could always talk to her. He knew how to be gentle with her but how to make his point at the same time. She balanced him well and he her. That familiar pang hit him in the gut.

He glanced at the coffee maker, checking to see if his coffee was ready yet. To his disappointment it wasn't.

"Donny?"

Donatello's eyes snapped back to Leonardo, who was staring at him with an odd expression. His eye ridges were pulled together, and his eyes were full of concern behind his blue mask.

"You alright, Donny?"

"Yeah, Leo, I'm ok bro."

"You sure? You look… upset about something."

Donatello shifted his weight from one foot to the other, frowning a little as he looked away from his brother's penetrating eyes. Leonardo had that knack of being able to tell when something was bothering one of them. It was hard to hide anything from him.

He had always been there for them whenever they had needed him to be. But he'd also kept his own desires and feelings well hidden, his training and role as leader of the family had always come before anything. And ever since Splinter and given Leonardo the role of jōnin he had become even more closed off in front of his brothers. His emotions always firmly locked away. He was so good at it…

"Don? What's the matter?"

Donatello took a deep breath. He couldn't lie to Leo. And with Leonardo standing right there, it was hard to hide the fact that something was bothering him.

"Leo, do you ever… think about having a family?"

Leonardo's face seemed to screw up in puzzlement and his frown deepened. "Donny, we are a family."

"No, I mean… like with what Raph and Mikey have… "

"Oh," Leonardo straightened a little as he looked at his brother for a long minute, thinking and considering carefully before answering. Then at last he seemed to have made up his mind on what he wanted to say. "I haven't given it much thought to be honest, Don."

He turned as the tea pot whistled and poured the hot water into his tea cup. Letting the silence fall between them again.

That was typical Leo, Donatello thought to himself as his brother let the water sit for a minute or two before taking a sip of the brew. Then those dark brown eyes met his again.

"Have you been thinking about it, Don? Is that what's bothering you?"

Donatello tried to shrug it off, as if it wasn't that big of a deal to him either. He glanced at his coffee and saw it was finished. He poured himself a cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. Too hot maybe. It made his eyes water a little, but he blinked and his eyes cleared.

"Don… " Leo started, frowning.

"I just never thought it'd be possible for us, Leo… " Don interrupted. "I mean, I came to accept that. We're different, I know that. But when Raph met Elizabeth, and then Mikey with Melinda… it just makes me wonder if there's someone out there for us… you know?"

Leonardo walked across the small kitchen and put a hand on Donatello's shoulder, he gave it a soft squeeze. "I know what you mean, Donny. But you guys are my family. You guys are all I need. If there is someone out there for you, Don. You'll find her. Probably when you least expect it."

Don wasn't sure he felt the same way, but Leonardo dropped his hand. "Let me know when you are ready to head to the south tunnel." And with that he was gone. Leaving Donatello there by himself staring at the floor, conflicting thoughts in his head.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys. Thank you to those who have taken the time to review, it is always really appreciated so thank you. Anyway middle of the week and you know what that means. Two more days until the weekend starts. Yay! Halfway there... hope everyone is having a good week so far. Thanks again for taking the time to review. **

**Chapter 2**

Donatello swore, making Leonardo look up at his brother in surprise.

"You alright up there, Don?"

Donatello muttered something that Leonardo couldn't hear and pulled the small security camera out of its hiding place, a few wires trailing after it, obviously something had chewed through them.

"I'll need to find some replacement wire for this. I was hoping that this wasn't the case, though I knew it could be a possibility." Donatello said with a sigh, he opened up his brown duffel bag and slipped the damaged security camera inside, before pulling out another, much smaller camera. "This one will have to suffice for now, until I can get the right parts for this one."

Leonardo nodded once and went back to scanning the sewer tunnels surrounding them. Over the past couple of months he and his brothers had seen a few patrols of Foot soldiers down here, searching for their lair. It had made Leonardo wary, and their patrols had included sewer runs, scouting for any signs of trouble.

But they hadn't seen any Foot soldiers down here for a few weeks, though Leonardo knew that meant little. Karai was meticulous and she didn't give up easily. The silence had Leonardo even more on edge than the random patrols. Something just didn't feel right, and he didn't want any of his brothers going out on their own. Especially not after what had happened to Michelangelo. If it hadn't been for Melinda… Leonardo didn't let himself finish the thought. Michelangelo was fine now, he was home. Safe. That was all that mattered. As Splinter had told him several times, the past was not a place to dwell, it was a place to learn from one's mistakes, but one had to move on and live in the present.

"There, that should do it," Donatello announced then scaled back down the wall and landed next to his brother, wiping some of the grime off his shell. "Want to make a run to the dump? I need to see if I can find some replacement parts for this… "

"Don, I think that can wait until tomorrow night. You aren't going to stay up all night fixing this. You need the sleep."

"Leo… "

"Don, you've been pulling too many all nighters lately – I'm not letting you do it tonight. Raph and I will go with you to the dump tomorrow and help you find parts. You aren't going by yourself and we aren't going tonight," Leo said firmly scowling at his brother.

"Leo, if this security camera isn't… "

"The camera you just install not working either?"

Donatello frowned. "Yes but it's range isn't as big as this one's and it doesn't have the night vision, or the heat seeking thermal vision either. It could miss something."

"Don't you have other sensors set up in this section of the sewers that would be triggered if someone got too close to our lair?"

"Leo, I'd still feel better if I got this taken care of tonight," Don argued.

"It can wait until tomorrow, Don. Now let's get back, it's getting late." Leonardo was firm.

Donatello shook his head, but didn't argue the point. When Leo made up his mind – that was it. Reluctantly he slid his bag into place and followed Leonardo back to the lair. He might have some of the parts he needed in his lab… he would check when they got home.

Donatello followed his brother back down the sewer tunnels, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. Maybe if he made a more secure wire casing it wouldn't be as easy for the rodents to chew through it. That could work. He'd still have to replacing the wiring for this one though. But he was sure he could construct some kind of protection for the wires that would discourage the mice and rats from chewing on it. He should have thought of it before.

A hand grabbed him forcing him back into a dark shadow in a shallow pocket of the sewers.

"Leo, what… "

"Hush," Leo demanded, voice clipped and sharp, his eyes narrowed behind his mask. He half crouched in front of his brother, barely breathing not making a sound, his hand gripping the hilt of his katana. Donatello went quiet then too, listening. Senses on full alert now. And he heard it too. The faintest of sounds, of someone walking along in the sewer tunnels. Someone that wasn't being too careful. Not like a Foot soldier would be. But it could be a sewer worker.

Leo's shell pushed against his leg forcing him back a little further as his fingers twitched on the hilt, as if tempted to pull it out, but knowing the noise of the katana leaving its sheath would draw unnecessary attention.

"Phew… really stinks down here, Phil."

"What did you expect it to smell like – a flower shop? It's the sewers, Henry. Better get used to it."

Definitely sewer workers. But neither brother relaxed. They couldn't afford to let themselves be spotted by anyone.

"Don't know why I wanted to… " one of the voices muttered.

"Cause you wanted a chance to see them giant alligators you're always hearing about. Now come on that tunnel three blocks down needs some repairs done."

Leo's body shifted, tightening like the string on a bow before you let the arrow go. He didn't relax his tense position until the voices had faded. He looked back over his shoulder at his brother. "Let's go. The sooner we get home the better I'll feel."

Donatello gave his brother a tight nod, Leonardo stepped out of their hiding place, followed by Don. Together they raced back to the lair as quickly and quietly as they could.

* * *

Donatello woke to the smell of fresh coffee being brewed. The same thing he woke up to every morning, but it didn't make the smell any less intoxicating. His mouth began to water as he sat up, blinking around his room sleepily.

He couldn't make out the numbers on the clock. They kept blurring in and out of focus while he sat there, half awake, half asleep.

Leonardo had insisted that he go bed when they had returned home last night. Threatening to hide the broken security camera and all the coffee in the lair if he had to. Donatello had been annoyed by that. But Leonardo had stood firm, insisting that Don get at least a few hours worth of sleep.

Donatello had gone off to his room grumbling. He remembered sitting down on his bed, but nothing else until now. His muscles ached with the familiar sensation of lying on them for too long. He could be a restless sleeper at times, new ideas always going through his head often meant midnight brainstorming sessions with his laptop. But last night hadn't been one of those nights.

Donatello got to his feet, stretching and rubbing the back of his head slowly left the room. Coffee would help wake him up, clear his head. He'd feel better after he had a cup. Or three.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Don jumped at the high pitched scream, suddenly not so sleepy as he hurried out of his room looking down over the landing to the floor below.

Melinda was standing on the couch, lifting her nightdress the soft pink satin rippling as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, still screaming.

"MIKEY! GET IT! GET IT!"

Don blinked watching as Michelangelo crouched, shifted his arm quickly and straightened up again. What in the world?

"GO GET RID OF IT!" Melinda squawked as Michelangelo turned around, his right hand clenched into a ball. Obviously holding something in it.

"What is going on in here?" Elizabeth asked as she left the kitchen, wiping her hands on a hand towel. She had flour on her t-shirt and her long hair was twisted back and held in place with a couple pencils. Her emerald green eyes snapped from Michelangelo, who looked a bit amused, to Melinda who was still standing on the couch.

"Spider," Mikey said, unable to hide how funny he thought Melinda's reaction had been. He smirked. "A little one."

He headed off for the bathroom to get rid of the intruder, while still looking rather upset, Melinda headed to the kitchen.

Donatello shook his head. Women. Did all women overreact to such little things like a spider being in the lair? He headed downstairs, the promise of coffee once again enticing him.

"Coffee is ready for you, Don." Elizabeth said as he entered the kitchen, she nodded her head towards the hot coffee pot.

Don gave her a grateful smile, picking up a mug from the table and walked over to the coffee pot, and helped himself to some of the steaming beverage. The smell alone was enough to help wake him up a little as if his body knew that caffeine was not far away.

"There all gone," Michelangelo entered the kitchen, grinning, and brushing his hands together as if dusting them off.

Melinda glared at him as she helped herself to some orange juice. "It's not funny."

Michelangelo chuckled despite himself. "It was the size of a pin head."

"It was not it was huge! And it was hairy! And it was super fast!"

Michelangelo shook his head but chuckled as he sat next to her. Melinda scowled as she sipped at her orange juice, obviously not at all amused, and irritated with the fact that Michelangelo found the whole thing funny.

Donatello sighed as he sat down across from them, nursing his coffee.

"Morning," Leonardo greeted as he joined them in the kitchen, looking, as usual wide awake. He'd probably already been up for an hour.

"Morning, Leo. I just put the water on for you. It'll be ready in a few minutes," Elizabeth said as she lifted the lid of the waffle iron, and seeing the golden brown waffle inside slid it onto a stack of hot waffles that were steaming gently on a plate.

"Thanks, Elizabeth," Leo said with a smile. He grunted as Akemi threw herself at him wrapping her arms around his legs. She hugged his legs tightly, burying her face against them. Leo reached down grabbed her under the arms and lifted her up. She grinned and patted the sides of his face before reaching up for his mask. Leo's hand caught her wrist stopping her.

"Still planning on making that run to the dump, Donny?" Leonardo asked as he walked over to Elizabeth, handing Akemi off to her as he reached into the cupboard to retrieve the tea that Elizabeth hadn't quite gotten around to taking down yet.

Don nodded. "I'm going to need to replace some wiring for that camera. And I could use a few other things while I'm there as well."

Leo gave a slight nod. "We'll go tonight, after we run the patrol."

"Sure, Leo." Don said, then frowned as Elizabeth put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes, swaying a little.

Leonardo noticed this too, and quickly grabbed her arm steadying her. "Elizabeth, are you alright?"

She had gone a pasty color, her eyes too bright in her pale face when she opened them to look at Leonardo. Donatello stood up, alarmed. She looked close to passing out.

"Elizabeth, you need to sit down," Donatello instructed as Leonardo once again took Akemi, holding her while Don lead Elizabeth to the table. "Put your head between your knees."

Elizabeth didn't argue with him, and did as she was told. Resting her face right against her legs, drawing deep, slow breaths.

"Elizabeth, I think you need to see a doctor, this isn't getting better it's getting worse."

"I'm fine, Don. Just got a little dizzy. Locked my knees I think."

Donatello frowned, as did Leonardo. He'd seen Elizabeth shifting her weight from foot to foot and moving around, it should take longer than fifteen seconds for someone to feel dizzy from locking their knees.

"W'at's goin' on in 'ere?" Raph asked frowning as he finally joined the family. Seeing Elizabeth, with Don crouched in front of her, gently feeling her wrist for a pulse, Raphael hurried over to his wife. "'Lizabeth? Ya alright?"

"I'm fine, Raph," Elizabeth said not opening her eyes.

"Pulse is a little elevated," Donatello said frowning again. His chocolate brown eyes met Raphael's, he knew Raphael could protective of his wife. Especially when Elizabeth didn't feel well.

Raphael's expression darkened and he crouched next to Donatello. "'Lizabeth?"

She pushed into him a little, seeking his touch, needing the comfort. Donatello, straightened and stepped aside as Raphael pulled her into a hug, or close to it as she was still sitting on the chair and seemed reluctant to move.

After a couple minutes she suddenly straightened. "Oh… the waffles."

"Already taken care of, dudette," Michelangelo reassured. He was sliding the last of the waffles off the waffle iron and onto the stack, then quickly unplugged the plug from the wall and brought the waffles over to the table.

"Well your color is coming back," Donatello watched as more color seemed to return to Elizabeth's face rather quickly. "You'll probably feel better when you get some food in you."

Elizabeth nodded tiredly.

"Ya sure yer alright, 'Lizbeth?" Raphael's voice was strained with worry.

"I'm fine, Raph. Feel better already. Think Donny's right, just need to eat is all."

From the look on Raphael's face he wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer, and neither was Donatello. Something was wrong with Elizabeth.

At Elizabeth's insistence, Raphael sat next to her, taking Akemi from Leonardo and helped himself to some waffles.

"Honey, Elizabeth?" Leonardo asked after he'd poured the golden liquid onto his own waffles.

"Thanks, Leo," Elizabeth said taking the honey jar from him. After having Akemi, and throwing up enough times during the first trimester, she'd lost her taste for syrup and had switched to honey as a sweetener for her pancakes or waffles. Though she still liked her white sauce on her French toast.

Raphael smacked Michelangelo's hand away from the syrup, before picking it up and emptying half of what was left in the the bottle onto his own plate, making his younger brother scowl in annoyance.

Melinda seemed to have calmed down from her spider attack, but seemed a bit fidgety. More than what was usual for her. Donatello saw Michelangelo shoot her worried glances from the corners of his eyes every few minutes, but Melinda seemed too focused on what was troubling her to notice.

The familiar scritch-tap, scritch-tap announced Master Splinter's presence before the rat joined everyone in the kitchen. He took his usual seat at the head of the table.

"Ohayo."

He was met with a chorus of "ohayo gozaimas, Sensei," from his sons and "good mornings" from the girls.

Leonardo silently stood up and fixed some tea for Splinter. Splinter thanked him with a silent nod of gratitude as Leonardo went back to his seat to resume his breakfast.

Splinter's dark eyes slowly made their way around the table, lingering briefly on each face. When they landed on Elizabeth's face his whiskers twitched. He stared at her for a long minute before moving on to Raphael and Donatello.

"Akemi!" Raphael scolded. "Ya don't take food outta yer mouth an' put it back on da plate!"

Akemi looked at Raphael for a minute, then let her tongue fall out of her mouth, the food along with it. It clumped together and landed with a soft splat on the table top.

Elizabeth's face went a sickly shade of green, and Donatello was sure that Elizabeth's own breakfast was about to join Akemi's half chewed bite of waffle right there on the table.

Raphael scowled and grabbed the glob in a napkin before carrying Akemi out of the room.

"Elizabeth, you're green," Don said frowning.

"So are you but you don't hear me giving you a hard time about it," Elizabeth snapped, suddenly irritable.

Donatello looked at her in shock. Elizabeth was usually so even tempered, he wasn't used to his sister snapping at him like that.

Across the table Melinda stood up. She walked over and grabbed the other woman's arm. "Elizabeth, I think some fresh air would do you good. Why don't we go on a supply run? Raphael's got Akemi, and I know we're almost out of eggs. I made a grocery list last night."

Elizabeth started to argue that she wasn't in the mood to go shopping, but then relented with a single nod. Discouraging Melinda from shopping when she was so eager to go was nearly impossible and Elizabeth would be wasting her time and breath trying to talk the other woman out of it.

Donatello stared after them as he finished his third cup of coffee. Something was off. He just had to figure out what it was.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Happy Sunday everyone. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. Thank you again for those who take the time to leave reviews, they are always appreciated. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. I'll be back again Wednesday. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Elizabeth was bored. She wasn't sure how Melinda had managed to talk her into clothes shopping. It was hardly a supply run. Melinda's need for a new blouse was anything but necessary.

Elizabeth leaned against the support pillar as Melinda looked at herself in the mirror, holding up an apple green shirt that did nothing for her complexion. Making a face Melinda put it down and picked up a soft baby pink one instead.

"I like that one," Elizabeth said, more to hurry this along than anything else. She was anxious to get back to the lair. It made her edgy being topside too long with all the gang activity lately.

"Hmm… me too," Melinda agreed as she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "I think I'll get it, I've got just the right necklace to go with it… now I just need a skirt. Grey would probably be the best… "

"You don't need a skirt," Elizabeth interrupted frowning. "Michelangelo wouldn't care if you ran around in baggy old pajama bottoms all day."

"This isn't for Mikey," Melinda said as she shot Elizabeth a rather strained look.

Elizabeth's eyebrows rose in surprise.

Melinda sighed. "I was going to tell everyone at breakfast, I've already told Mike, I want to work again. I miss not working. I don't feel like I'm really… helpful with much right now. I mean when I tried to cook dinner last week… even with Mikey's help… well you remember what happened!"

Elizabeth did remember what happened. The potatoes hadn't been forked before Melinda had put them in the oven, and they had exploded. And while they had been cleaning up that mess, the meatloaf had burned. In the end, Elizabeth and Melinda had run out to get Chinese food. The man behind the register had smirked when he'd seen bits of baked potato still stuck in Melinda's hair.

"Anyway… I have a job interview as a personal assistant for Dr. Keller at the hospital. It's Friday morning and I didn't think any of my other outfits looked professional enough."

"I think you were just looking for an excuse to by some new clothes," Elizabeth teased, knowing all too well how much of a fashion guru Melinda was.

"That too," Melinda said with a smile. But then it faded. "Seriously though, we could always use the extra income. You shouldn't have to pay for everything, Elizabeth. You have your daughter and Raph. And who knows if you guys are always going to be living at the lair. You guys might want a place of your own someday."

Elizabeth shook her head. She wasn't going to take Raphael away from his brothers. It was something that they had talked about a once. But in the end the subject was never explored further. She was happy where she was in the lair, with Raphael and his family. She couldn't think of a better place to raise her family.

"… and with a new baby on the way I thought… " Melinda continued as she tucked the pink blouse over her arm.

"Whoa, wait! What?" Elizabeth asked, stunned. "You're… you're pregnant?"

"Me? Of course not. Mikey and I have never… " Melinda trailed off blushing. "Well never mind. But I'm a bit more perspective than Raphael and his brothers seem to be. When I asked you last week if I could borrow a tampon you didn't have any. You didn't have any last month either. So either you bought some and went through the whole box in a week, or you never restocked because you didn't need them."

Elizabeth frowned as she looked away from the other woman, not meeting her eyes. She felt Melinda's gaze burning into her and shifted uncomfortably.

"You… you didn't know, did you?" Melinda asked, her eyes widening in realization. She put a hand over her mouth. "Oh… Elizabeth, I'm so sorry I didn't… I thought you… "

"It's ok, Melinda," Elizabeth held up her hand to cut the other woman's apology off. "I had a feeling… I thought it was just a bug I couldn't shake at first. But when I missed my period… well, I… I thought maybe… " She finally looked up at Melinda, her emerald green eyes meeting Melinda's bright blue evenly.

"I was going to get a test on my next supply run. But I was afraid to. With the… " Her voice dropped to a whisper as a couple more customers entered the store, chatting happily to each other. To both women's relief the two chatty women headed off to look at jeans on the other side of the store, rather than heading in their direction. Elizabeth looked back at Melinda. "…with the mutation, who knows what will happen? I might not be able to carry it."

Melinda nodded slowly, understanding the other woman's fears. "And going to see a doctor about it is… "

"Out of the question," Elizabeth finished firmly.

"You can't keep this a secret forever, Elizabeth. I mean… eventually they are going to find out." Melinda pointed out.

"I know that, and it's not that I don't want to tell him – tell them. It's just I don't want to get his hopes up, to tell him that we're going to have a baby and then telling him we lost it. I don't want to disappoint him that way. I can't."

"Everything will be ok, Elizabeth. We'll get a test when we go to the grocery store. That way at least you know for sure. Then we can at least get you on some prenatals. Telling Raph and the others… well that part will be up to you. I won't say anything to anyone."

"Thanks, Melinda."

"But… you should. Even if something happens and you lose the baby… Raphael should know. You guys are married, you guys should support each other through something like this. Whether it's good or bad. That's part of what being married is."

Elizabeth sighed.

Melinda didn't say anything for a few minutes, letting the silence hang between them as she pretended to study a light purple blouse.

"Let's go find your skirt and get out of here, we still have a lot to do today. And they tend to worry if we're out too late."

Melinda nodded, understanding that the subject was closed for now. Elizabeth wasn't going to say anything else about it until she wanted to. Melinda just hoped that when she did want to – it would be to Raphael.

* * *

Raphael was pacing, scowling at the floor. Elizabeth and Melinda had been gone for hours. How long did it take to get a few groceries anyway? Elizabeth rarely took this long on supply runs. And Raphael couldn't help but get worried about it. Not with all the increased gang activity. The purple dragons had gotten so bold that attacks were even happening in the daytime now. And those two were alone.

He was half tempted to call Casey and ask him to head out and make sure that they were alright.

A tug on his hand made him stop pacing for a split second, he looked down into Akemi's bright green eyes. "Wanna play play-dough!"

"Akemi, dat makes a mess."

"Please?"

"I'm sure they are fine, Raph," Leonardo called from where he was sitting, rubbing a polishing cloth over his katana, meticulously keeping them well honed and deadly. "If something was wrong they would have hit the panic button on their shell cells. My guess would be that Melinda talked Elizabeth into clothes shopping with her again. And you know how long that takes."

Akemi tugged on Raphael's fingers again. "Please play?"

"An' what if dey aren't… "

"Raph, you're wearing a hole in the floor. Go play with Akemi for an hour, if they still aren't home we'll go out looking for them."

Raphael scowled but Akemi's insistent tug finally made him sigh and he followed her to the kitchen. To his surprise Michelangelo was already there, pushing a big piece of play-dough into a small tube, which cut up the play-dough and made it come out looking like spaghetti.

Michelangelo smirked. "She roped you into playing too huh?"

"If she already had ya ta play wit' why'd she need ta come get me?" Raph grumbled as he sat down at the table. Akemi pushed the pink play-dough towards him. Raphael ignored it and selected the red instead.

"Cause she wanted Elizabeth, I told her that she still wasn't back but you were here, so she went looking for you." Mike said with a slight shrug. "She's not used to having Elizabeth gone for so long. Usually Elizabeth takes Akemi with her."

"Yeah, well if she ain't back soon I'm gonna go find 'er. I don't like dem bein' out dere on their own. Not with da purple dragons attackin' in da daytime too."

"Raph, you know you don't like Elizabeth worrying when we go out on patrol."

"Dat's different."

"Not to her it isn't."

"I ain't by myself."

"Most of the time. You went out by yourself three months ago when you and Elizabeth had that fight… "

"I went ta Casey's."

"And you stayed there all night, Raph. Elizabeth was really worried. You didn't call or anything. She had no idea where you were, or if you were ok – you didn't even have your shell cell. If April hadn't called Don about her alarm going on the fritz again we wouldn't have known where you'd gone. When Don told Elizabeth she calmed down, but that was really hard on her, Raph. What if something had happened to you? What do you think that would've done to her? Or put yourself in her place? If she just took off in the middle of the night, without her phone. You had no way to contact her and had no idea where she'd gone."

"She didn't say nuttin' about it, Mike," Raph said scowling as he squished the play-dough in his fist making it ooze out between his fingers.

"Because she didn't want to start something up again, Raph. She was too happy to have you home. She lets go of things a lot easier than you do. As long as you were home safe that was all that mattered to her."

"No, daddy use this!" Akemi interrupted the conversation as she pushed a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart towards Raphael. Shen then proceeded to squish her own green lump into a pancake shape and stuck it with a fork. "Yum yum."

"Don't eat dat." Raph said automatically.

She giggled. "Pickle."

"No, dat's not a pickle. Dat's yucky play-dough."

"Wanna a pickle daddy?"

"No t'anks."

"Wanna a pickle, unky Mikey?"

Mike chuckled. "I'm making spaghetti – that doesn't go with pickles squirt."

"Oh," Akemi looked disappointed. She put down the play-dough pickle and picked up some of the yellow play down Michelangelo hadn't used for spaghetti, seeming totally focused and she shaped it into a triangle.

Raphael scowled, putting his piece of play-dough down on the table. He couldn't help but feel as if his relationship with Elizabeth had been a bit rocky lately. She seemed to get irritable more easily, and when she lost her temper it took her longer than usual to calm down. And with this recent illness it had only made it worse. She seemed to want very little to do with him. As if she didn't like him being too close too often. When they were together, like the other night for movie night with the family, it seemed to satisfy her need for him for a while. He couldn't help but feel hurt. It was as if she was regretting marrying him.

The thought pained him. It had taken her years to say yes to marrying him, and now… she seemed to regret it already. It was too much for Raphael. The thought of losing his wife… the woman he loved so much was worse than taking on the whole fleet of Karai's ninjas and purple dragons at once. It was as if someone was ripping away his soul.

He rejected the pain. He pushed it away. Unable to handle it, he found himself looking for more ways to release his tension, and much to Leonardo and Elizabeth's disapproval, that was usually when the brothers were out on patrol. Raphael had always been a bit reckless in Leonardo's eyes, but more and more frequently Raphael had been getting lectures from Leonardo about jumping into fights without knowing what he was jumping into.

Being lectured by his older brother had always made him irritable, but nowadays it seemed to be just too much. And one night he and Elizabeth had quarreled and Raphael had taken off. He hadn't thought about what it had done to Elizabeth, what she must have felt. He'd been too angry at the time. Leonardo had already chewed him out once for his reckless behavior in the battle they'd had when they'd been out on patrol, and then Elizabeth's irrational and unpredictable behavior had just been too much for him to take.

He'd hung out with Casey, sitting on the rooftop and having a couple beers with his long time friend. Raphael tried not to drink too often, and never around Elizabeth. He knew Elizabeth didn't like it when he drank. And while he'd never been a big drinker anyway, with the exception of a couple here and there with Casey, Raphael's beers on the rooftop with the vigilante had been cut to almost non-existence. But that night had been the exception. He and Casey hadn't spoken much, being a married man himself Casey knew a lover's spat when he saw one, but didn't push Raphael for answers, and Raphael didn't offer any.

After a night on the roof with Casey, and sleeping off some of the alcohol, Raphael had used the tunnel access they'd made in April's basement wall and headed home, getting there right before lunch time. Elizabeth hadn't rushed for him, hadn't clung to him, which Raphael had appreciated, but she seemed willing enough to put the night before behind them.

"Here, daddy, I made you a chip," Akemi beamed proudly as she dropped the yellow triangle shaped piece of play-dough onto his hand. Raphael blinked looking at it.

It had small balls of red and blue and green sitting on top of it. "T'anks, Akemi. But what's dis stuff on top?"

"Spicy. Very hot!"

Raphael smirked. Akemi seemed to have his taste when it came to certain things. They both liked spicy and they both liked hot food. Nothing pleased Akemi more than sitting on Raphael's lap in front of the TV while the two ate a bowl of salsa with jalapeno chips for dipping.

"Ya know me too well," he teased.

Akemi beamed proudly. "Eat it, daddy."

"How 'bout I fix us some chips an' salsa while you an' Mike clean da play-dough up an' we'll go watch Lion King?"

"Ok!" Akemi agreed eagerly.

"Way to get out of eating play-dough, Raph," Mikey smirked.

"Yeah yeah… least I don't gotta clean up, smart guy," Raph shot back.

Akemi hummed to herself as she squished the play-dough into balls and back into the containers.

Michelangelo grabbed the spaghetti shaped play-dough and squished it together. "You're going to spoil her dinner."

"Yeah, yeah, snack ain't gonna kill 'er. An' I don't know what time 'Lizabeth is gonna get back. Rather 'ave Akemi eat somet'in' den go 'ungry. She barely touched 'er tuna fish at lunch time."

"But she ate three cookies."

"Real 'ealthy," Raph said rolling his eyes.

"And don't forget the Cheetos," Mikey added as an after thought.

"Oh I forgot – 'er fruit and vegetables packed inta one wit' dose," Raph said shaking his head.

"Could have been worse. She's three, Raph, she's not supposed to be the best eater."

Raph snorted. "Ya didn't stop eatin', ya still don't."

Michelangelo shrugged as he closed the yellow play-dough jar. "All I know is that it's normal in young kids, Raph. They tend to get fussy when it comes to eating."

"Well when 'Lizabeth makes dinner tonight I'll let 'er know why Akemi ain't eatin' it," Raph grumbled as he poured some salsa into a bowl and grabbed the bag of chips. "

"It's your shell," Michelangelo warned.

"Ya all done cleanin' up Akemi?"

She didn't answer.

He frowned, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. Akemi was chewing something. "Akemi, what's in yer mouth?"

She didn't answer him.

His eyes snapped to the table where his "chip" had been sitting. It was gone. "Akemi, where's da chip ya made me?"

Akemi giggled, covered her mouth and swallowed. "Yum yum."

Raph sighed. Great jus' great.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Can't believe its Wednesday already. Amazing how fast the week goes. Really appreciate those who take the time to review. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weeks. I'll be back Sunday.**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Oroku Karai walked down the dimly lit halls, Takeshi her first in command easily matching her pace. He was more brawn than brain, but Karai knew he was loyal, which is why she kept him around. She had been tempted to dispose of him after he had failed to kill the turtle that her soldiers had wounded, but had thought better of it. For now anyway.

Ahead of her two prison guards led the way, opening up secured doors.

Visiting a prison was such a bother. She'd never done so before. But the letter she had received had been enough to peak her interest. Any news on getting to Leonardo's family – getting her revenge was worth a visit. And if this man, Graham, really did have information. She would make sure to acquire it.

"Through here, Miss Oroku," one of the guards instructed as he opened the door to the visitor's hall.

Karai's green eyes narrowed a little as she walked into the room, her eyes scanning the occupants. She'd already done her research of course. Looking into who Graham was, a once successful business man, who had tried to kill his wife and young daughter. He'd been sentenced to life in prison but had appealed the court's decision. He had a trial in a week and had asked for Karai's help in exchange for information on the turtles.

The man was in the far corner. Sitting at one of the tables close to a window. The light played over his face. He had the appearance of one who had lost quite a bit of weight in a short amount of time. His hair was disheveled and un-kept. Wearing an orange jumper like the rest of the inmates, his face scruffy with a rather shaggy beard. He scratched at it as he stared around at the other prisoners who were visiting with their families.

Karai headed in his direction, Takeshi following. As she approached the man's eyes snapped up to her, taking in her sleeveless black dress and high heel shoes. Her short haircut, her oval face, green eyes. His eyes narrowing a little, sizing her up. As if deciding whether or not she was really what he expected her to be. Karai bristled a little.

"Mr. Cooper?"

"Miss Oroku." He stood up, offering a hand. She didn't take it. She looked him over, just as he had done to her.

He scowled, obviously not appreciating the gesture. He was a man that was used to being in control, though you didn't run a million dollar company by being a pushover Karai thought with a satisfied smirk. She sat without being invited. With a moment's hesitation Graham sat as well, eyeing Takeshi warily.

Takeshi did not sit, he stood behind Karai, like an obedient guard dog, watching its master's back.

"You said you had news for me," Karai snapped, impatient to get this over with. She had other matters to deal with this afternoon, one included an important meeting with the mayor. Talking to a low life in prison wasn't her top priority.

Graham's eyes snapped to her face again.

"What do you know of the turtles?" Karai hissed.

"Our deal?"

"Our deal will only stand if your information is worth the having!"

A vein popped in the man's forehead as he scowled. Graham never liked being out of control in a situation, but he knew he was not in control of this situation. Karai held all the cards except one, his ace and she wasn't going to show him her hand until he gave it up.

"How do you know of the turtles?" Karai's voice was clipped, impatient. She was studying him like someone would study a bug under a microscope. It made Graham feel uneasy. But he refused to show it. He had dealt with several tough business men while he'd been running his own, this was no different.

"They kidnapped my wife. That filthy creature took her from me, brainwashed her. Impregnated her."

"You still believe the child to be theirs? The DNA test performed on the girl proved that you were her father."

Graham snorted. He obviously believed that the results had been forged so that it would put him away for a longer period of time. Karai raised a perfectly curved eyebrow at him.

"Is this all the information you have?"

"No. A few weeks ago some new people were brought in. Six or seven. All of them looked pretty banged up, and all of them had the same tattoo. A purple dragon."

Karai pursed her lips. She was not associated to the purple dragons. She and Hun had made how they felt about each other very clear on more than one occasion.

"… they were talking about the turtles," Graham continued not disregarding her obvious disdain. "Said they fought with the turtles. Their leader, Hun… he had a… " Graham hesitated looking at the guards posted around the room before looking at Karai. "A deal he had to close in this week. They said if the turtles got wind of it… they would try to stop him from collecting."

Karai nodded slowly. If the turtles got wind of it, there was no doubt they would be there. And if Hun wasn't too big of an idiot to have a few extra fighters… the turtles might just be in for a surprise. Of course, this meant she would have to actually contact the big idiot and see if he would be willing to work out some sort of deal. Perhaps if she was lucky she'd actually be able to get her hands on Leonardo…of course, she didn't want the turtles completely destroyed. Not quickly anyway. She wanted to finish Leonardo off herself. But she had no time for such foolishness, she would send her soldiers out to fight the turtles. With orders to bring Leonardo back to her. Between Hun's fools and her own trained soldiers the turtles would be outmatched.

Karai kept her face impassive, unwilling to let the flicker of anticipation touch her eyes. She met Graham's eyes evenly and saw a bit of the color slowly leave his sunken face.

"Perhaps," Karai pushed her chair away from the table, clearly this was all the information this man had. "Is that all the information you have of them?"

Graham seemed reluctant, but he nodded. "Our bargain?"

Karai considered him, wondering if his information really was as valuable as he hoped. Still, if this did work out… if she was able to get her revenge for her father… as pathetic as Graham Cooper was, Karai was sure that his connections could certainly come in handy if he were to come work for her.

She smiled sweetly as she stood. "Your lawyer will be here in the morning, when you are free. Call me. I think that you will be an excellent addition to the company. And having a job waiting would be looked upon favorably by the court."

"Thank you, Miss Oroku."

She nodded her head and walked away, Takeshi at her side. As they left the hall she looked at him. "Contact Hun… we have plans to make."

"Yes mistress."

"And make sure he knows… that it is in his best interests if he wishes to keep his assets secure. Perhaps it is time for a truce, even if only temporarily." She smirked. The man bowed.

As soon as they had gathered up their things from the lockers and left the prison. Karai stepped into her waiting car and Takeshi left to go hunt down Hun.

* * *

Elizabeth was feeling decipherably uneasy as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. But at last, loaded down with groceries, and a bag of new clothes for Melinda, the girls were headed home. Elizabeth gingerly lowered the bags of groceries to the floor of the second hand car Elizabeth had bought for supply runs. It was less conspicuous than the battle shell and blended in better with the New York City traffic. She maneuvered the bags carefully, not wanting to crush the eggs between the milk and orange juice containers.

"You still feeling sick? Should we get you a shake or something?"

The girls shopping had been interrupted quite suddenly when Elizabeth had been forced into a bathroom to throw up for several long minutes. Even after she was done, the queasy feeling hadn't abated and Melinda had decided to finish up the clothes shopping quickly so they could go get groceries and get home.

Elizabeth shook her head. Right now she could use a cup of Splinter's herbal tea. It had really helped her when she had been pregnant with Akemi, settling her stomach even on the worst days. Perhaps she would make some of that when they got home. Of course, it was getting close to dinner time now. She was sure Michelangelo had probably started it by now.

Melinda glanced over her shoulder and merged out into traffic before shooting Elizabeth another worried look. "You sure?"

"I'll be ok when we get home, Melinda. I'm just a little tired," Elizabeth rested her forehead against the window, the cool glass felt good against her skin. She closed her eyes.

Melinda hummed a little to herself as she turned her eyes back to the road, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel. "Ok then, well if you start to feel sick let me know and I can pull over… "

Elizabeth kept her eyes closed and her mouth shut. She let the familiar purr of the engine soothe her as Melinda drove along, making her way expertly through New York's heavy traffic. The red behind her eyelids began to fade as the sun sank and disappeared, though New York's lights quickly replaced the absence of the sun.

She knew that guys would be worried by now. She opened her eyes.

"Do you have your shell cell?"

Melinda's brows pulled together but she didn't look away from the road. She pushed hard on the breaks as a cab cut in front of them. Elizabeth grunted as the seat belt dug into her shoulder and waist.

"Sorry… " Melinda apologized, sheepishly. "I'm not sure. You can check my purse… "

Elizabeth reached down, picking up the silver bag, digging around for the familiar shell shaped device. It took her a few minutes, and she had to remove some of the other items in the purse before her fingers finally brushed it. She grasped it and pulled it out, tucking Melinda's items back into her bag before flipping it open.

Automatically she dialed Raphael's number. She frowned as it went right to voice mail. Did Raphael turn off his phone? That wasn't like him. She pulled the phone away from her ear, hung up and tried again. Again it went to voice mail. Her stomach tightened as it used to do before she'd met Raphael, when she'd been married to Graham and he'd been too angry to answer her phone calls. It was usually prelude to a beating.

Elizabeth forced herself to take several deep breaths.

"What's the matter?"

"He's not answering the phone."

"Raphael?"

Elizabeth nodded. She flipped the phone open again and dialed Michelangelo's number instead.

"Michelangelo's pizza and buffet… can I take your name for a reservation?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but smiled. Relieved. "Mike… is Raph there? He's not answering his shell cell."

"Hey, Elizabeth… yeah sorry bout that. Not sure if Donny has had time to fix Raph's shell cell yet, he's been working on that security camera today, trying to find parts and get a list together of parts he'll need when he, Raph and Leo head to the dump tonight."

Elizabeth's stomach unclenched at once. She'd forgotten that Raphael's shell cell wasn't working. "Oh… I forgot about that… "

Michelangelo chuckled.

"Dat 'Lizbeth?"

Elizabeth could hear Raphael's tense tone clearly through the line.

"Yep… "

"'Lizbeth? Where are ya?!" Raphael's voice was strained.

"We're almost back to the warehouse, Raph. We had to make a few extra stops while we were out here. Took longer than we thought it would."

She could almost see Raphael's shoulders slump in relief. When he spoke again he sounded much calmer. "How long? Mike's got dinner jus' about done."

"Oh, about ten minutes or so," Elizabeth said tiredly.

"Ya alright?"

"Yeah, just been a long afternoon. We'll be home soon."

"Ok, 'Lizabeth… "

Elizabeth went to hang up.

"'Lizabeth, wait… "

Elizabeth paused. "What is it, Raph?"

"Ya… ya know I love ya right?"

Elizabeth frowned, he sounded so insecure. What was he questioning? "I love you too, Raph."

She sighed when she heard the soft click telling her that Raphael had hung up. She closed the shell cell and put it back into Melinda's bag.

"Everything alright?"

Elizabeth frowned out the window. "I don't know… I just don't know… "

* * *

**PartyShoes16: Can't send you a PM since you're signing in as a guest. You'll have to use your old e-mail would be my guess and go in and fix it in your account settings. Or try the help button see if you can get help there. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Happy Sunday everyone. Hope everyone is have a great weekend so far. Would like to say once again how much I appreciate those who take the time to review. Its always nice to get the feedback. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Sunday and weekend. I'll be back Wednesday. **

* * *

**Chapter 5**

Elizabeth was happy to be home, and even happier to get off her aching feet. Melinda seemed to feel the same way as she kicked off her high heel shoes and put them on the shoe rack she'd convinced Donatello into making for her. It was completely filled with shoes, she had more than two dozen pairs, and she'd bought another pair today, insisting that she didn't have the right color at home to match the skirt.

Elizabeth had never met someone who liked to buy clothes as much as Melinda dd. She'd have to ask Donatello to raise that shoe rack up a little bit so Akemi couldn't get at Melinda's shoes. Just the other morning she'd come down to see Akemi already awake, all the shoes she could reach on the floor, and she was clomping around in a pair of red high heels.

Elizabeth had managed to wrangle up her daughter and get the shoes put away before anyone else had come down for breakfast. She thought about getting Akemi a dress up box, perhaps then she'd leave Melinda's things alone.

Raphael and Akemi were sitting on the couch watching TV when the girls came in, an empty bowl of salsa and a scrunched bag of jalepeno chips sat on the coffee table in front of them. From the looks of it they were watching Cinderella. Raphael did not looked all that entertained or impressed, but Akemi's eyes were wide as she watched the Fairy Godmother turn the mice into horses.

"Raph, can you help me with these groceries? There's more up in the car… "

Raphael nodded getting up, seeming all too happy to have the excuse to get out of watching Cinderella. Akemi pouted watching him go. But then her eyes snapped to Elizabeth.

"Did you bring me cookies?"

"You can have your cookies after dinner," Elizabeth said firmly.

Akemi's bottom lip pushed out in a pout.

"From the looks of it, you've already had a snack with Raphael," Elizabeth said with a level look at her daughter.

Akemi seemed to think about this, looked at the chip bag and then back at Elizabeth grinning proudly. "I make daddy a chip today."

"Did you?" Elizabeth asked absent-mindedly as she headed for the kitchen to relieve her arms of their burden.

"Yep and I ate it," Akemi beamed proudly as she stood up on the couch.

"Akemi, no standing on the furniture, you know better. A couch is for sitting not… "

Akemi wasn't listening. She began to bounce up and down hanging onto the back cushion to anchor herself as she began to sing.

"I ate it! Ate it! Ate it!"

"Akemi, don't do that," Elizabeth frowned at her daughter.

But seeing that her mother was currently busy with the groceries, and with Raphael out of sight, Akemi ignored her mother and continued to sing and jump on the couch.

"Akemi you are going to have to the count of three to stop that and then you are going to time out and you won't finish your movie," Elizabeth warned.

Akemi grinned and let go of the back cushion, jumping higher.

"One… "

Akemi kept jumping.

"Two… "

"Akemi, ya don't jump on da couch ya know better," Raphael snapped as he came in carrying more bags of groceries from the car. He put them down on the table next to the load Elizabeth had already put there.

"Did ya buy da whole store?"

"Funny," Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "As fast as we go through groceries this might last us a couple weeks."

"Did you get any pork rinds, Elizabeth?" Michelangelo asked as he hurried into the kitchen to check the pot that was simmering on the stove. The warm aroma filled the kitchen with the sweet yet spicy smell.

"How could I forget your pork rinds, Mikey?" Elizabeth shook her head grinning. "And of course… I got spicy nacho doritos for you, Raph." Elizabeth pulled out the bags of chips. Michelangelo automatically reached for the bag of pork rinds but Elizabeth kept it out of his reach. "I think you can wait for dinner, Mike. What are you making?"

"Navajo tacos," Michelangelo said with a grin.

"Smells amazing," Melinda chimed in as she joined them in the kitchen. She walked over to Michelangelo and put a hand on his arm, squeezing it.

Michelangelo grinned. His hand wound around Melinda's waist, holding her close. The petite blond pushed into him, her arm winding around the front of his plastron as she pushed her head under his chin.

"Wanna help me with the scones, Melinda?" Michelangelo asked with a grin.

Melinda made a face. "Mikey, you know I can't cook."

"Didn't you see Ratatouille?" Mike teased. "Anyone can cook."

"I believe that Anton Ego's point was that not everyone can cook but a good cook can come from anywhere," Melinda corrected.

"Like the sewers?" Michelangelo grinned.

"Only if you are the one who's cooking."

"Hey," Elizabeth said shooting the other woman a hurt look.

Michelangelo laughed and Melinda gave Elizabeth a rather sheepish smile. "Sorry, Elizabeth, I didn't mean anything by that."

"Yeah, yeah," Elizabeth said with a slight smile. "You're just saying that so I don't hide the ice cream."

"That too."

"Elizabeth wouldn't do that – she's too nice," Michelangelo smirked as he got the flour and salt so he could start working on the dough for the scones.

A crunch told Elizabeth that Raphael had gotten into the Doritos. She frowned. "Raph, don't you think you should wait for dinner?"

"I'll still eat – plus wit' Mike's cookin' sometimes ya can never tell what it's gonna taste like."

Michelangelo stuck out his tongue, making Raphael smirk.

Elizabeth shook her head. "How can you still be hungry after eating all those chips and salsa today… and by the way that reminds me, Akemi said she made you a chip?"

Michelangelo snorted and Raphael shot his brother a dirty look. She did… outta play-doh."

"She ate play-doh?"

"Mike was supposed ta be 'elpin' 'er clean it up while I made us a snack, but he weren't payin' attention an' she ate it."

Elizabeth sighed, rubbing her right temple gingerly to ward off the headache she could feel coming on.

"Why don't ya go lay down fer a bit, 'Lizabeth? I'll finish puttin' dis stuff away," Raphael offered.

"Might not be such a bad idea," Elizabeth admitted. "Thanks, Raph… "

She stood up, grabbing one small bag and left the kitchen.

Raphael watched her go, frowning a little. Then began to put the groceries away.

* * *

Half an hour later Elizabeth lay on the bed she shared with Raphael, gently running her fingertips up and down the flat of her belly. A baby… Raphael's baby. If she could carry it. She hadn't really considered the possibility of it before. Even talking to Melinda about it earlier… she had tried to deny the truth even if only to herself. But now there was no denying it. She'd used both tests in the box, and both of them had had the same results. Both had been positive. She was pregnant, with Raphael's baby. Their first baby together since they'd gotten married.

Fear and excitement fought for dominance in her belly. She would have to tell Raphael. But what if he wasn't excited about it? What if he didn't want more kids? He treated Akemi like she was his own and what if he thought that was enough? What if he was angry? Or, what if he wasn't? What if this baby changed the way he thought about Akemi?

Elizabeth pushed that thought down, Raphael was amazing with Akemi. He loved her. That wouldn't change because of a new baby. Elizabeth was sure of that.

But what about the baby? Would the mutation cause complications with the pregnancy? Would her body reject it? But it hadn't yet and she was sure she was close to three months along now.

"'Lizabeth, ya awake?"

Elizabeth was startled out of her thoughts as Raphael entered the bedroom. She hadn't heard him coming. Though that didn't surprise her. She never heard any of the turtles walking. Stealth training was so ingrained into them that they walked silently no matter where they were.

Elizabeth pushed herself up onto her right side, using her elbow to support her.

"Sorry, did I scare ya?" Raphael hesitated, looking at his wife with wide amber eyes. "I wasn't tryin' ta… "

"No, Raphael, it's ok really. I wasn't sleeping. Just thinking about something… "

"Bout what?" Raphael asked as he walked further into the room.

Elizabeth bit her lip as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, wrapping her arms around herself. "Raph… there's something I've got to tell you."

"'Lizabeth ya know ya can tell me anyt'in', " Raph said frowning a little now as he sat next to her on the bed. "Ya've sure been actin' strange lately… ya wanna tell me what's goin' on?"

"Raph, you know I love you right? And that you're amazing with Akemi… "

She heard his breathing change. Clearly he was trying to figure out where this was heading.

"Raph, I wanted to tell you that I'm… well, I'm pregnant." Elizabeth shot her husband a glance but his expression confused her. It darkened and his amber eyes were suddenly dark with anger.

"Who's da father dis time 'Lizabeth?"

"What? Raphael, you are… what kind of… "

"It ain't mine! Who 'ave ya been wit' when ya've been goin' on dose supply runs huh? Ya t'ink I'm dat stupid?! That I wouldn't find out?"

"Raph, no it's not!"

A hand grabbed her neck, gripping tightly, squeezing. Elizabeth's hands came up gripping the wrist. She felt the familiar leather pads and looked into Raphael's eyes pleading. Gasping for breath even as his hand tightened.

"R… Raph… " She wheezed.

He tightened his grip on her neck, cutting off her air as he stood up, taking her with him. He lifted his arm up, lifting her right off her feet. She grabbed desperately at his arm, but the material was different. Smoother, a polyester blend instead of leather. She tried to suck in air, feet dangling as she looked at her ex-husband.

Graham's eyes bored into hers. "It's that disgusting freak's baby isn't it, Elizabeth?"

"Gr… " Elizabeth tried to say his name terror ripping right into her soul. How had he gotten out of jail?

"I'll kill you… I'll kill you both!"

Elizabeth couldn't get enough air to scream.

"''LIZABETH! LIZABETH WAKE UP!"

Strong hands on her shoulders, shaking. A desperate voice. Other voices. Confused. Scared. She felt herself jerked up, something hit her in the middle of the back and air flowed into her lungs as she sucked in a desperate breath.

Her arm swung to slap Graham back. But a hand caught her wrist and folded her arm against her chest.

Strong arms engulfed her and she was pinned to something hard. She drew in a deep rattling breath and caught the familiar scent of leather, of spice, something familiar. Something comforting.

A whimper pushed up her throat, and she pushed into Raphael's embrace, as she choked out a sob. Melting against him, trembling.

"She alright now, Raph?"

Donatello. She knew that was Donatello. She could hear concern and worry in his voice.

"I t'ink so, Don… " Raph's familiar voice was gruff, strained with worry.

She felt his hand come up and gently stroke her hair as he soothed her. He shifted her, pulling her onto his lap.

She pushed into his strength feeling safe, secure in his arms. She could feel the deep rumbling in his chest as he talked to Donatello softly, but didn't hear what he said.

Donatello must've said something else because Raphael shook his head.

"…. mind, Raph."

"If she is… we'll be down, Don."

"I'll let the others know."

"T'anks."

Then there was silence, which made Elizabeth think that Donatello had left the room. Raphael's hold tightened around her ever so gently, keeping her safe in his secure, protective grip.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Happy Wednesday everyone. Hope everyone is having a good week so far. Can't believe how fast it has gone by. I know I say this every time I post but thank you for those who take the time to review. Really appreciate the feedback and its nice to know that my work is being enjoyed. Have a great rest of the week and I'll be back again Sunday.**

* * *

**Hailey Griffin: I'm glad you are enjoying it so far. Hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thanks for taking the time to review.**

**Vickie: Hope this next chapter was worth the wait for you. Thanks for taking the time to review. **

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**Chapter 6**

Donatello returned to the kitchen to join the others for dinner. Everyone paused, Michelangelo was leaning over the back of Akemi's chair as he spooned some beans onto her scone. Akemi was happily swinging her legs back and forth as she looked at the other toppings already on the table.

"Everything alright, Don?"

"I think so, Mike," Donatello said tiredly. He picked up his own plate he'd abandoned when Raphael's desperate cry for him had interrupted dinner. The beans on his scone were luke warm. He sighed.

"What happened. Don?" Leonardo's dark brown eyes were penetrating.

"Elizabeth was having a nightmare I think…. It was a pretty bad one. She's with Raph now."

"They going to be coming down for dinner?" Michelangelo set down the bowl of beans and picked up the bowl of cheese. Akemi reached for it eagerly, but Michelangelo held it out of her grasp. Akemi tended to make a mess with shredded cheese if she could get her hands on a bowl of it. Akemi scowled, pushing her bottom lip out in a pout.

"I don't think so, Mike. They might eat later though," Donatello picked up the bowl of diced tomatoes and put them on top of his beans.

"She sure has been acting funny lately, " Michelangelo handed the bowl of shredded cheese to Leonardo and picked up the bowl of lettuce.

"I know, Mike. Raph said that he was going to talk to her about seeing a doctor."

"I'm sure she's fine," Melinda said frowning at them both. "If Elizabeth thought it was serious enough to see a doctor she would've gone already," she sucked a bit of sauce from the beans off her fingers and sat down across from Leonardo.

"You know what's wrong with her, Melinda? She talk to you about it?" Donatello asked, hand frozen over the bowl of sliced olives.

"Not really," Melinda said with a slight shrug. "It came up, but she doesn't think it's anything to worry about. She's not interested in seeing a doctor."

Donatello frowned.

"No cucky tomatoes!" Akemi pushed Michelangelo's hand away.

"Akemi, you like tomatoes," Michelangelo looked at his niece, puzzled.

"Gross! Slimy!"

"Ok then, how about some olives? You like them, remember?"

"NO! Yuck!"

"You need more than beans and cheese, Akemi."

Ignoring him Akemi picked up the scone and took a bite, spilling beans and cheese down the front of her green "I'm Daddy's Favorite" shirt.

Michelangelo sighed and shook his head before picking up another scone for himself.

"What time did you want to go on that junk run tonight, Don?"

"In a few hours probably, I've been trying to get Raph's shell cell repaired so he has it before he goes topside again. If he has a more reinforced casing it won't crack as easily. I have the materials to do that here. I want to stop by April's too – I asked her if she could get a new fan belt for the battle shell. She said she picked one up today. I'd like to get that fixed tomorrow."

"Whoa, Don, you need to slow down a little," Mike said as he glanced at his brother. "Can't fix everything all at once."

"Well if things would stop breaking I wouldn't have to," Donatello said pointedly as he looked at the space on the counter where the microwave usually sat.

Leonardo lifted his eye ridges at the look Donatello gave him.

"It wasn't me this time."

"Leo, it's always you. You blew it up twice last year."

Leo's face went a little darker green.

Melinda cleared her throat awkwardly. "Don, it wasn't him. I'm sorry I didn't know that the cup had metal in it, and Akemi wanted to show me a picture she'd drawn. So I left… and well, when I came back… " She trailed off, face flaming.

"It was you?" Donatello asked, shocked at this news. He had been sure it was Leonardo. It wouldn't have been the first time after all.

Melinda nodded sheepishly. She sighed and put down her fork. "I was going to talk to you about it. I just got a little side tracked. But there is something else I want to talk to all of you about actually, although Mikey already knows."

Donatello's eyes snapped to his younger brother and was surprised to see Michelangelo's face darken a little. Not in anger, but worry. Clearly he wasn't happy with what Melinda was about to tell them.

"I… I want to go back to work. To help contribute around here. I don't feel like I'm really contributing too much around here. I know you have that tech job Don, but it isn't fair for you and Elizabeth to have to pay for everything, especially since I'm helping to break some things. I have a job interview this Friday, at the hospital as a personal assistant for Dr. Keller."

Don opened his mouth but Leonardo beat him to it.

"Melinda, I'm not sure if that's such a great idea," Leonardo said frowning as he pushed his half eaten scone away. "The Foot and Purple Dragons have been patrolling more often, they are looking for us, and they know who you are. They found your apartment, they could find out you are working at the hospital."

Melinda drew a sharp breath. "Leo, it's not like they can just storm the hospital and kidnap me. There are security guards there."

"Leo's right, Melinda. All it would take is for one person to recognize you. And while they might not attack the hospital itself, it wouldn't stop them from trying to follow you home. It'd be hard for us to protect you there until this activity slows down."

Melinda bristled. "I don't need body guards, Don."

Michelangelo touched her arm gently. "Melinda, we just want to keep you safe. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"You're agreeing with them? How long have you felt like this? I thought you were ok with me going back to work," Melinda turned on him, blue eyes filled with hurt.

"You didn't say you wanted to start working right away," Mike said gently. "You just said that you would like to start working again. "

Melinda glared at him as she picked up her plate and took it to the sink. She quickly washed it and stormed out of the kitchen.

Michelangelo sighed, letting her go, knowing she needed time to herself. Just for a few minutes.

Akemi began to pick the remaining beans off her scone and drop them on the floor one by one.

"Akemi… "

Akemi's bright green eyes met Leonardo's for a brief second before she grinned, picked up a handful of beans and deliberately dropped them onto the floor with a soft splat.

"Ok, yer done."

Raphael sounded very tired as he entered the kitchen.

"Raph? How's Elizabeth?"

"She's asleep again, she's worn out," Raphael said as he walked around the table and lifted Akemi under the arms to avoid her sticky hands as he took her to the sink to get washed up.

"Did she say anything?"

"No she ain't talkin' about it. Not tonight anyway an' I ain't pushin' 'er about it. She was really upset," Raphael tested the water temperature for a few seconds before pulling Akemi's hands under the stream and grabbing the soap for her.

"You hungry, Raph? I could warm the beans back up… " Michelangelo offered.

"No t'anks, not really 'ungry, Mike." Raphael grabbed a paper towel and wetted it and tried wiping Akemi's mouth, which wasn't easy since she kept turning her head away from him, determined not to let him touch her with it.

He finally turned off the water and set her on the counter, so he could use both hands to stop her from moving her face so he could wipe it.

He sighed as he looked at her messy shirt and tugged it up over her head and wadded it into a ball. It would have to be washed.

Akemi's white under shirt too had stains from the beans, but Raphael left it on for now. She was going to need a bath soon anyway and she'd be in clean pajamas after that.

"Want down," Akemi said pouting a little as she looked at Raphael. "Want cookies."

"Ya don't get yer cookies cause ya didn't eat yer dinner," Raphael said firmly.

"Yes!"

"Not tonight. Maybe if ya eat good tomorrow ya can 'ave some cookies after lunch," Raphael was not wavering on this. Most of Akemi's dinner was currently on the ground next to her chair not in her stomach. Though Raphael had a feeling she hadn't really been that hungry after she'd eaten all those chips with salsa so close to dinner time.

Akemi decided to try another tactic. "Please?" She asked holding out a hand and giving him the brightest, saddest puppy eyes she could manage. It always worked with Michelangelo, who seemed to have no will power around Akemi.

"Awww…. " Michelangelo cooed on cue, much to Raphael's annoyance.

"Not tonight," Raphael picked her up again and shifted her a little as he adjusted her weight in his arms. Automatically Akemi reached for his mask but Raphael leaned his head back, stopping her from tugging it off tonight.

"Come on, Akemi – time fer yer bath. An' den it's gonna be bed time."

"No bed."

"Yes bed, yer tired."

"AM NOT!"

Raphael ignored her protests as he carried her out of the kitchen.

Leonardo stood up from the table, taking his plate to the sink before grabbing some wet paper towels and began to clean up the mess Akemi had left on the floor.

Michelangelo stretched as he left the table and headed off to find Melinda.

"Want some help with the dishes, Leo?" Donatello offered as he finished his cup of coffee.

"No, that's ok. Thanks, Don, but go finish what you need to finish with Raph's phone. I'll clean up in here, then see if Mikey will come tonight, I think Raph will want to stay home with Elizabeth."

"You're probably right," Donatello said as he gathered up his plates and took them over to the sink. "I should be ready to go in a couple hours, I'll call April too and let her know we're stopping by to pick up that fan belt for the battle shell."

Leonardo nodded as he tossed the paper towels into the trash. A couple hours would be enough time for him to get the dishes done, and even get in a short meditation session before they headed to the junk yard. Without another word he walked over to the sink and rinsed the plates off before filling the sink with hot soapy water and began to scrub the plates clean.

* * *

"You could have told me how you felt, Mikey, that's all I'm saying!" Melinda glared at her boyfriend, her muscles tight with tension.

Michelangelo sighed as he watched Melinda pace back and forth across the bedroom, shifting a little on the corner of the bed where he was sitting.

"Melinda, if you really want to work then that's fine, I'll support that. I just agree with Don and Leo that it isn't a safe time right now. You've seen the news the gang activity is getting worse up there, I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"You really think that someone wouldn't notice the Foot barging into a hospital? And the parking lot has security cameras, Mike."

"Melinda, the Foot are ninja – they'd plan for those security cameras. They would know all about the hospital's security. "

Melinda stopped pacing and leaned against the wall instead, arms crossed over her chest, clearly annoyed. "So I'm just supposed to skip the interview I already have an appointment for this Friday right?"

Michelangelo shook his head. "Can't you just reschedule the appointment? Or talk to her?"

"And tell her what, Mike? That I can't go to the interview because an enemy ninja clan might follow me to my car after a shift? I doubt she would buy that."

Michelangelo stood up and walked over to his girlfriend, gently pulling her into a hug. Melinda stiffened at first, but then relaxed into the hug. She had a hard time staying mad at Michelangelo for long, something that Michelangelo was happy about. He didn't like fighting with Melinda. He didn't like Melinda unhappy.

"There will be other jobs, Melinda."

"Yes, I know that. But this one would've been really good. Great benefits and connections to a hospital when we need more medical supplies for the infirmary, and the pay is really good too."

"Why are you so worried about making money, Melinda?" Michelangelo leaned back and gently lifted her head under the chin with a single finger, looking into her soft blue eyes. "We think you contribute around here. You help out Elizabeth, and you watch Akemi, I saw you cleaning the bathroom last Saturday and picking up Raph's wet towels at least three times. You don't need to pick up after us. Especially Raph. We can do it ourselves. But you do a lot around here. You don't have to go out and get a job."

"I am just thinking about the future, Mike. What if it's necessary for something?"

"Like your clothes shopping habit?" Mike teased gently as he ran his fingers through her soft blond curls.

"No," Melinda said though she knew that Michelangelo really wasn't bothered by her clothes addiction, though she had to admit it had slowed down a lot since she had moved down to the lair with the turtles. Probably because she just didn't go topside that often. Most of the clothes she had she'd already owned before she'd moved down her with Michelangelo and his family. "… I was just thinking about you know us and the family, and what if we have kids someday or Elizabeth and Raphael decide they want to live somewhere else? Donatello's tech job is nice but the pay isn't… "

Melinda stopped feeling Michelangelo tense against her, his arms tightening around her waist and looked up at him. He was looking at her with an almost sad longing in his eyes. Melinda reached up touching his face, brushing her thumb along his cheek just below his mask. She hadn't meant to upset him.

"Mike? I'm sorry I was just… "

"You… " Michelangelo swallowed hard as his fingers ran up her back. "You want to have kids?"

Melinda's cheeks went a little red. This wasn't something that they'd ever really discussed before. She'd never really taken to kids that much. She'd seen most of them as whiny little drool makers. Even the older kids had seemed snobbish and disrespectful, which was often times a reflection of their own parents personalities.

But Akemi was different. Sure she was a handful, but she was three, it was to be expected.

With Michelangelo, though, it seemed different. Michelangelo was the most incredible person she knew. So soft, so loving, he would have so much to give to his own baby. She could easily see him teaching the baby to learn how to cook. She'd seen him making sugar cookies with Akemi one night, Akemi had been grinning from ear to ear as she'd helped him make shapes in the dough. And after the cookies had been baked and cooled she had had the best time decorating them with icing and sprinkles. The results had been rather messy, but there was no doubt that Akemi had had a blast.

"With you, Mike. I would love to have kids." Melinda said softly, suddenly all the heat from earlier had drained out of her. The annoyance that Michelangelo had been hiding how he'd been feeling about her trying to get this job, none of it seemed important right now. Not in this moment. Not with him. "I love you."

Michelangelo's mouth suddenly pressed to hers in a deep, but gentle kiss, his fingers tangling with her hair as her arms went around his neck, holding him closer to her as she met the kiss with the same tender passion.

* * *

"Leo?"

Leonardo's eyes snapped open at his brother's soft call. Donatello was standing in the doorway to the dojo, his leather bag slung over his shell.

"You ready?" Leonardo asked as he put out the candles and uncurled his legs. He gathered up the candles and put them back on their designated shelf.

"Yeah, April said she and Casey were going out tonight but that she'd leave the belt in her apartment. It's on the way to the junk yard, so we can stop there first."

Leonardo nodded as he rolled his shoulders a little. "I'll go see if Mike wants to come, meet you in five."

Donatello jerked his head in slight nod of understanding and walked away.

Leonardo headed upstairs but saw Michelangelo's door was open, and the light off. Michelangelo clearly wasn't in his room. With a quick stop in his own to retrieve his katana, Leonardo headed downstairs to the guest room and knocked softly. "Mike?"

There was a short pause before Michelangelo opened the door. "Yeah, Leo?"

"Want to go with me and Don on a junk run?"

Michelangelo seemed to hesitate, which surprised Leonardo into frowning. But then Michelangelo nodded.

"Sure, Leo, I'll be out in a few."

Figuring that Michelangelo was still consoling Melinda Leonardo nodded. "I told Don we'd leave in five."

"Ok, Leo, I'll be there," Michelangelo promised, then he shut the door.

Donatello was waiting for him when he reached the front entrance to their lair. They would make their way through the tunnels to April's, then move to the rooftops from there. It was safer that way.

"Mike coming?"

Leonardo nodded. "He's with Melinda, but he said he was coming."

They didn't have to wait long for Michelangelo to join them, then silently all three brothers headed out into the tunnels.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Happy Sunday guys. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend so far. Here's the next chapter. I'll be back again Wednesday. Thank you to those who take the time to review. **

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**Chapter 7**

"Is this the right doohickey, Donny?"

Donatello looked up from the pile of junk he was standing on to look over at his younger brother. Michelangelo was holding a jumble of wiring.

"No, Mike, I'm looking for a harness for the microwave. The one I took out of the microwave was fried." Donatello said annoyed at the interruption. It hadn't been the first and so far the night had been unfruitful. With the exception of the fan belt for the battle shell that April had placed on the dining table in her apartment Donatello hadn't found any of the parts he needed.

"What about this thing? It looks interesting," Michelangelo said as he grabbed a broken cable.

Donatello ground his jaw and chose not to answer that question.

Up on his look out, Leonardo looked down at his brothers. He was getting impatient, they'd been at this for almost an hour and a half now and it seemed as though the search had been unsuccessful. His dark brown eyes scanned the piles of junk searching for trouble, straying automatically towards any shadow that could possibly hide a Foot soldier.

It was a quiet night, with only the sounds of his brothers shuffling around in the piles of garbage as they searched for the parts Donatello had tried to describe. A little too quiet for Leonardo's liking, as if the night was simply holding its breath, the quiet before the storm. His fingers twitched, his senses on high alert.

"Mike, put that down! I thought you were going to help me!"

"I'm trying to, Don… but this stuff you're looking for is weird."

Don growled a little, obviously frustrated with the lack of results and with Michelangelo's easy distractions. Sometimes it was just easier to ignore Michelangelo. It was something Leonardo did often when he was training or meditating. Often tired of being ignored by Raph and Don, Michelangelo would try to interrupt. Leonardo was an expert at stoically ignoring his youngest brother. It was something he'd been doing for years. It seemed so natural to him now that it was almost effortless. It was something Raphael had not yet managed to accomplish. Raphael found blocking Michelangelo's taunts and catcalls out hard, especially when the two of them were sparring. More often than not Michelangelo would manage to get under Raphael's shell, irritating the older turtle until he lost his temper completely and he would let his rage drive him. But, Michelangelo would take advantage of the fact that Raphael's anger tended to blind him as well and would usually end up using Raphael's anger against him, beating him in the spar.

Leonardo could see from where he stood that Donatello had decided to just tune Michelangelo out.

"Iew slimy," Michelangelo complained as he pulled his hand out of the pile he was going through, shaking his hand to rid it of something rather putrid.

Leonardo could tell that Michelangelo was getting bored of looking through the trash, and a bored Mikey always led to trouble. He saw Donatello pull what looked like some torn wiring from the pile he was going through, examine it carefully and then put it in his bag. Obviously he'd found something useful.

"Ah cool! A skateboard!"

Leonardo groaned, if there was one thing Michelangelo didn't need it was another skateboard.

"Ahhh… man it's got a big crack in it," Michelangelo moaned as he tossed the board to the side, it teetered precariously for a moment on the pile of trash before sliding down and landing with a soft thump at the bottom, the sound muffled by the trash it landed on.

"Let's try over there," Donatello pointed as he adjusted his bag on his back. "I thought I saw an old microwave over there. If we find it, it will save us a lot of time searching.

Leonardo gave a tense nod. He wanted to get this run over with and get his brothers back to the safety of the lair.

Michelangelo quickly made his way down the pile of trash he was standing on, letting out a whoop of exhilaration as he went, making Leonardo wince.

"Mike! Keep it down," Leonardo hissed.

"Sorry, Leo."

Leonardo shook his head before he jumped down from his look out area and followed his brothers as Donatello led them to where he thought he'd seen the microwave.

* * *

Raphael watched Elizabeth's chest rise and fall, it seemed even and calm now. She seemed peaceful and relaxed. He shifted, and reached forward to touch his wife in the dark. As if to reassure himself that she was really ok.

He'd faced off with a lot of things before. Fear was not something he liked to feel. It was often something he buried under anger. A lot of anger. It was something Splinter had tried to help him get under control, something that he told Raphael he must learn to manage. Something that he must not let control him. Leonardo had given him lectures on it too. It irked him to no end that Leonardo's lectures had become more frequent now that he was Jōnin.

He knew they were right, to a certain degree anyway. Raphael liked the anger, it spurred him into battle, got his adrenaline going and made his reflexes faster. But it could also handicap him, his anger could consume him to the point where his concentration would waver and that was where it became dangerous, especially if he were fighting with the Foot or Purple Dragons. Usually, he lost his concentration in the dojo when he was sparring with Michelangelo. Michelangelo's catcalls and taunts would grate on his nerves to the point where Raphael felt as if his head would explode from the irritation.

But this fear, this fear he'd felt when he'd come in and seen Elizabeth on the bed, hand at her neck, trying desperately to suck in air that wasn't reaching her lungs couldn't be masked by anger. He'd felt cold. He felt as if the room had been closing in on him as he'd watched his wife fight, struggling with some invisible foe. Something that he couldn't fight. Something that was trapped in the depths of her unconscious mind.

Raphael's fingers gently brushed her cheek, his thumb brushing the skin just under her eye. Elizabeth shifted a little under his touch, rolling from her side onto her back, her breathing changed and her own hand came up catching his wrist in a gentle touch as she opened her eyes. Seeing who it was she smiled.

"Raph."

"Sorry, I wasn't tryin' ta wake ya."

"No, it's ok. I'm glad you're here."

Raphael smiled at his wife. She was so beautiful, again he found himself wondering how he'd gotten so lucky with Elizabeth. She balanced him so well, his complete opposite in some ways, but that's exactly what he needed.

Elizabeth shifted on the bed, scooting over and patted the mattress beside her, inviting him to join her. Raphael was only too happy to accept the invitation as he lay down on the bed with her, pulling her close to him. She pushed into his plastron, fingers curling just around the edge, pushing her face into his neck and using his arm as a pillow as his arms wrapped around her.

He gently ran his fingers up and down her back.

"Ya wanna tell me what da nightmare ya 'ad was 'bout?" He asked softly.

"Graham," Elizabeth's voice was so quiet Raphael almost didn't catch it.

He scowled, his arms tightening around his wife. "He ain't gonna get ya, 'Lizabeth. Yer safe now."

"I know," Elizabeth whispered.

She went silent as he held her. Seeming content.

"Raph?" She finally asked, almost timidly.

"Yeah, 'Lizabeth?"

"Have you ever thought about, having more kids? I know you love Akemi, but would you want more?"

Raphael frowned. "I 'aven't t'ought 'bout it much," He said finally.

It wasn't really his top priority. Akemi was wonderful, and he loved her as his own, but she could be a real handful, like Michelangelo was when he was her age. She was always running around and getting into things, finding new ways to get into trouble. The idea of adding another child to the mix… he suddenly stiffened and he felt Elizabeth tense in his arms.

He shifted a little so he could look at her, meeting her emerald green eyes which were wet with tears.

"'Lizabeth, do ya wanna try fer a baby? Is dat what yer askin'?"

"Raph, if you don't want to… "

Raphael opened his mouth, but jerked feeling a buzz at his hip. Swearing he reached down and pulled his shell cell from his belt. It was Casey. Annoyed he ignored the call.

He looked at Elizabeth again. "'Lizabeth, if ya wanna try we… "

His shell cell buzzed again. He growled and turned it off. But a few seconds later Elizabeth's shell cell on the small nightstand they had began to buzz.

"It's obviously important, Raph," Elizabeth pulled out of his arms. "I'm going to go make some tea. You should see what he wants."

"'Lizabeth," Raphael protested.

But his wife had already grabbed her robe and had silently left the room.

Raphael swore again and grabbed Elizabeth's shell cell. "What do ya want ya, bone head?"

"Yo, Raph, I've called ya like six times now. How come ya ain't answerin' da phone?"

"Aw, shuttup. What's goin' on?"

"Have you seen da news? Der's been a lot 'o robberies lately. 'Specially on military shipments, seems like someone is stockin' up on high tech gear… "

Raph growled. "Hun. Why's dis so important tonight, Casey?"

"Word is dere's a big shipment comin' in, I was out an' 'eard a few of dem goons talkin'. I say we go an' break up dere little party."

Raphael hesitated. He was usually up for banging heads with the purple dragons, but tonight…

"So ya guys comin' or what?" Casey asked impatiently.

"Yeah, alright, Head Case… " Raphael sighed. "We'll meet ya at da docks."

"Awesome, I might even save ya a piece of da action."

Raphael could hear Casey's grin through the phone and rolled his eyes.

"Don't go stormin' in der by yerself ya, bone head. Don't want ta explain ta April why we 'ave ta give 'er what's left of yer brains in a paper cup after we scrape dem off da wall."

Casey snorted. "Like dat'll 'appen." And then he hung up.

Raphael shook his head. He knew Casey was a hot head, and was often impulsive, but he seriously hoped that the vigilante wouldn't be so stupid as to storm into Hun's headquarters by himself with no back up. Still it was better to be safe than sorry.

He quickly hit the speed dial for Leonardo's phone.

"Elizabeth?" Leonardo answered on the first ring, sounding rather confused.

"No, she's downstairs. Case just called – dere's some action goin' on wit' da purple dragons."

"We know, Raph. It's been going on for weeks," Leonardo sounded confused and annoyed at the same time.

"I know dat, fearless. Case t'inks dat dey are gonna pull off a big job tonight – of military equipment. Who knows what da big ape will do wit' dat kind o' stuff. Case is gonna go check it out. I t'ink we should go back 'im up before 'e gets 'imself killed."

He heard Leonardo's sigh of defeat. "Alright, Raph, we'll head that way."

"I'll see ya dere."

"Just be careful, Raph," Leonardo warned.

"Yeah yeah, I'll be fine, fearless." Raph said as he hung up the phone. He ran a hand over his face, then stood up and picked up his sai, tucking them into his belt, he set down Elizabeth's shell cell and grabbed his own, flipping it on before sliding it into the holder for it in his belt and went down to the kitchen.

Elizabeth was sitting at the table, sipping at a cup of tea.

"'Lizabeth, Case said dat da Purple Dragons are pullin' off a big job tonight. Tryin' ta get dere hands on some dangerous equipment. We're gonna try and break up dere little party."

"Figured it was probably something big, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to call so many times," Elizabeth said with a nod. She forced a smile. "Come home to me."

Raphael couldn't help the grin that slid across his face. That was one thing he loved about Elizabeth, no matter how worried she might be about him. She didn't hover, she didn't let it show. And she always supported him and his brothers when they went out on their missions, no matter how dangerous they might be.

He walked across the kitchen and leaned in, kissing her gently.

"I'll see ya later," he promised.

"Raph, wait… "

"What is it?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. "You want to take the car? It'll be faster, it doesn't have an aersonal on it but with the battle shell still out of commission… and just in case you guys need to make a quick get away afterwards."

Raphael frowned, considering. He could always hide the car a few blocks away from the docks, keeping it out of harm's way just in case something went wrong. He slowly nodded.

"Might not be a bad idea."

"Keys are upstairs, in my purse."

"Thanks, 'Lizabeth. We'll be back soon." Raphael kissed her again gently and hurried from the room.

Elizabeth sighed as she looked back at her cup of tea. "Be careful," she whispered so softly he didn't have a hope of hearing it.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yay some real action, something I'm sure you guys have been waiting for right? Well here it is. I hope everyone is enjoying their week so far. And enjoy the chapter. Thank you for those who take the time to review. See you Sunday.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Raphael hurried across the rooftops after hiding Elizabeth's car a half dozen blocks away from the docks. It wouldn't take him long to get to the docks from there. He'd quickly scaled a fire escape and had taken off at a run. He knew that the others would already be there by now and he didn't want to miss all the action. He knew that Leonardo was level-headed, something that always drove him crazy when he was aching for a fight, and wouldn't want to jump in until he had a good understanding of the situation they would be getting themselves into.

He also knew that Casey was a hot headed idiot sometimes. He might be his best friend but he'd gotten himself into quite a few sticky situations that he and his brothers had had to get him out of because he hadn't thought before he'd jumped into it.

Something caught Raphael's eye making him frown. The shadows seemed to be moving. He paused, melting into the shadows himself, his amber eyes narrowing behind his mask. Jaw clenching and a low growl rumbled in his throat as he grabbed the handle of his sai. It wasn't just his imagination. The shadows were moving… with Foot! And they were heading right for the warehouse district.

There didn't seem to be a lot of them… but that told him little. More could already be there, or more could be on the way. Had Hun done something to tick off Karai? The thought of the two gangs taking each other out wasn't a bad thing, but if it turned into an all out war it would put he, his brothers and Casey smack in the middle of a very dangerous situation. The last time the Foot and Purple Dragons had been at war it had had disastrous results, one of them had been within his own family. Raph wasn't going to let that happen again.

Growling deeply in his throat, feeling his anger boiling towards the surface Raphael pushed himself faster, letting the anger fuel him, while drawing his sai on the run. But instead of making a direct line for the warehouse district now he headed right for the Foot. If he could cut them off, maybe he could stop them before they got to his brothers. That would give him a chance to get to the docks first and warn Leo and the others before more backups arrived.

Raphael's muscles coiled as he launched himself from one rooftop to the next, keeping to the shadows, keeping an eye on the Foot. Gaining on them inch by inch. He silently thanked Leonardo for pushing them into endurance training, extending their runs. The extra training might have seemed pointless then, but now it was definitely helping. He knew he could run faster for longer periods of time, that he could catch up and cut the Foot soldiers off.

He glanced towards the other rooftop again, only to see the Foot had stopped, and were peering at the roof he was on. He swore under his breath, knowing that the shadows were hiding him well enough that he couldn't be seen by the naked eye. Still, he moved deeper into the shadows, watching them, hands clenched on his sai. Waiting. He was ready.

The shadows seemed to ripple a little. He held his breath, willing his heart rate to slow down, still staring at the spot across the roof.

The slightest of sounds was his only warning. Automatically he turned and brought his sai up, stopping the sword that would've gone right through his neck. He growled, furious and brought his foot up in a powerful kick to the man's chest. He heard a satisfying crunching noise and the man's pained grunt as he fell to the ground, his sword sliding away across the rooftop.

It seemed to be all the confirmation that the other soldiers had needed that he was here. Seven more Foot soldiers landed on the roof. One crouched and tossed something at him. He growled and caught the throwing star, tossing it back with a much better aim. The startled Foot soldier squawked in surprise as it hit him in the shoulder. Making him drop his bo with a clatter.

Raphael had no time to congratulate himself as three more threw themselves at him. He brought his sai up, growling behind clenched teeth. From the corner of his eye he could see more shadows moving. The backup had arrived. Suddenly the night had gone from a simple mission, to a dangerous one. He knew he was fighting for his life.

The kick from behind caught him off guard, making him fly forward a few feet. An angry snarl ripped up his throat and he dropped, bringing his leg around in a sweep that the soldier jumped over, but wasn't fast enough to avoid Raphael's hay maker.

Sharp pain sliced across his arm. His angry glare shot to the soldier who was backing away, blood dripping from his sword. His buddies were there to back him up.

Blood trickled down Raphael's arm. The cut was deep from the amount of blood he could feel trickling down his arm. But he wasn't going to stop and look. Instead he tightened his hold on his sai, and threw himself into the fight. He couldn't afford to go down now. He had to get to the warehouse district; he had to warn the others.

* * *

"He should have been here by now," Leonardo said frowning as he glared across the rooftop for their missing brother.

"He'll be here," Casey said mildly. "No way is he gonna miss out on dis action." He grinned as he pulled out a baseball bat.

"Did you try calling him again, Leo?" Donatello asked softly as he scanned the alley below.

"He's not answering it. You said you fixed it right?"

"I gave it to him before we left the lair. It was working fine."

"Why don't you just check and see where he is with the tracking gizmo thing?" Michelangelo suggested. "Then we'll know how long it'll take him to get here. I don't know about you guys, but going through all that garbage made me hungry. I think we should pick up some pizzas on the way home."

Leonardo ignored Michelangelo's complaining and pulled out his shell cell, punching a few buttons to pull up a small chart. A small red light blinked on and off.

"He's just a few blocks away," Leonardo said, relief flowed through him. Raphael was fine. It wouldn't take him long to join them from where he was. "He should be here in a few minutes."

"Uh oh, here's trouble," Mike whispered as he peered over the edge of the roof.

Leonardo frowned, glancing over Michelangelo's shoulder. A truck was pulling in front of the largest warehouse, right in front of an awaiting Hun. The man smirked as two purple dragons got out of the truck.

"We've got it, Master Hun."

"Excellent," Hun walked around to the back of the truck and opened the cargo door. His grin widened. "I love pulling off military shipments."

"Oh shell, look at that… "Michelangelo squeaked as Hun pulled out a rather large gun.

Leonardo frowned. They needed to act and quickly. He dialed Raphael's phone again, frowning when again there was no answer. He knew that Raphael didn't like being checked on and often times wouldn't answer the phone if he didn't feel like it. But something felt off. On impulse, he pulled up Raphael's blimp on the tracker once more. His signal hadn't moved.

The relief vanished as quickly as it had come, as if someone had just doused him in a bucket of ice water. His stomach tightened in unease. Something was off. Raphael should have been here by now, unless something or someone had stopped him from making it. Raphael knew his brothers were waiting for him. Something was wrong.

"Leo?"

"Something's wrong. Raph's signal hasn't moved."

Donatello frowned. "You sure?"

Leonardo gave a tense nod. "Something's not right here, guys. There's more to this than we think."

"What do you want to do, Leo?"

Leonardo hesitated as he looked at his brothers, and then down at Hun and the other Purple Dragons who were now unloading the truck of its crates and taking them into the warehouse. He knew that in the hands of the gang they were dangerous, innocent people could get hurt, or killed. But his brother was his first priority. If Raphael hadn't joined them yet, it was because something had stopped him.

"Leo, go check on Raph. Case, Mikey and I can handle this."

"Donny, I don't think it's the best idea to split up," Leonardo argued.

"Leo, I've got a few… " He glanced at Michelangelo quickly before looking at Leonardo again. "Items here that I think can take care of that shipment. Once it's taken care of we'll meet up with you and Raph."

"A bomb?" Michelangelo, who hadn't seemed to be listening that closely was suddenly grinning excitedly. "Cool!"

Donatello sighed.

"Isn't that dangerous without knowing what's in the shipment, Donny?"

Donatello shrugged. "We'll be well out of range before they go off. We don't have to engage the Purple Dragons."

Casey looked disappointed.

Glancing at his phone once more and seeing that Raphael's signal still hadn't moved made up his mind.

"Move fast, and be careful. Get in get out," Leonardo ordered.

"You got it, Leo," Michelangelo said with a cocky grin.

"Don't worry, Leo. We'll be right behind you," Donatello promised.

Leonardo shook his head but turned and began to run across the rooftop, muscles bunching as he pushed off the edge of the roof and landed lightly on the next.

As he drew closer on his brother's signal he heard the unmistakable clang of metal on metal and automatically picked up a faster pace. He knew that sound well, it was the sound that was as familiar to him as breathing. The sound of Raphael's sai catching a katana. The sound he heard whenever he and Raphael sparred in the dojo. Raphael was in trouble.

Without bothering to pause, Leonardo drew his katana on the run, racing for the next rooftop, pausing briefly to scan the rooftops for where his brother was.

A flash of silver caught his eye and he heard the sound of something hard hitting flesh. Leonardo raced for the rooftop, just a few buildings away, growling low in his throat.

He could see his brother now, and could see that he was injured. Though how badly Leonardo wasn't sure, but Raphael was favoring his left arm.

Raphael's right foot came up and caught a black clad figure in the head, spinning him around and sprawled out on the ground next to him. Several more were closing in on him. There were too many, even for Raph.

Leonardo pushed himself off for the last jump and brought his katana down in a swing catching one Foot soldier by surprise and making him drop.

"Bout time, Fearless!" Raphael snarled through clenched teeth.

He was breathing hard and his muscles were trembling with exertion. From the downed Foot soldiers across the rooftop he'd been at this for at least ten minutes.

Leonardo brought his katana up, catching a Foot soldier's katana and swung his leg around, catching the Foot soldier solidly in the side, making him stagger back and his grip loosen on the katana. Leo jerked it out of his loosened grip and tossed it away before following up with another kick that brought the Foot solider down hard.

Leonardo's eyes narrowed as he saw shadows moving across the street, moving quickly. More soldiers. He growled. He caught a bo that was being swung at his head and caught the surprised Foot with a punch to the head.

Leonardo pushed closer to his brother, every instinct screaming at him to get Raphael out of there.

He heard Raphael grunt as he took a hit and turned instinctively just in time to see Raphael grab a bo with his sai and jerk it away angrily. The unfortunate Foot soldier who had sensed weakness was quickly corrected with the kick to the chest and punch to the head.

"Raph, we need to get out of here, there's too many," Leonardo growled through clenched teeth, as they fought shell to shell.

As quickly as they took Foot soldiers down more would quickly fill in to replace them.

Leonardo blocked one blow only to have a second soldier's bo catch him sharply across the elbow, nearly making him drop his katana. Sharp pain shot up his arm and instinctively Leonardo brought his sword around and plunged it right into the Foot soldier's chest as he brought his bo up again in an attempt to crush Leonardo's skull with it.

The man froze, bo falling out of limp fingers as he looked down at the katana stuck between his ribs. With a sickening slurping sound Leonardo brought it out, making the soldier drop.

"Ya alright, fearless?" Raphael's shell brushed against Leonardo's once more.

Leonardo didn't answer that. His arm hurt and the tingling in his fingers couldn't be a good thing. But Leonardo didn't have much time to focus on his injury, he could see that more Foot were coming.

* * *

"Don't touch, Mike!" Donatello hissed as he smacked Michelangelo's hand away from the small explosive Donatello had attached to the side of the truck.

"Can't I push the button, Don?"

"No! And you're supposed to be keeping a look out," Donatello snapped.

Michelangelo sighed. "Look out duty is boring, Donny."

Donatello's chocolate brown eyes snapped up to Michelangelo's.

Michelangelo scuffed a foot against the ground. "Fine… " He muttered reluctantly.

Donatello shook his head as he turned his attention back to the small bomb he'd put in place on the side of the truck. He knew more Purple Dragons would be out to get the rest of the shipment. He had to hurry.

"Whoa! Don, look out!"

Don half turned to see a baseball bat being swung at his head, it was caught by the chain of Michelangelo's nunchuck. Michelangelo tsked and shook his head.

"That's not very nice, striking a turtle from behind." He jerked the baseball bat out of the young man's hand before taking the kid out with a well-placed punch. "Hurry up, Donny! He wasn't alone!"

Donatello glanced over his shoulder to see Michelangelo, all teasing and boredom gone now as a good half dozen Purple Dragons approached, some with chains, others with pipes, others with baseball bats.

Swearing mentally, Donatello hit the timer for the bomb.

"Mike, we're out!"

"Right behind you, Donny!"

"Goongala!" Casey's battle cry joined them as the vigilante launched himself at two of the Purple Dragons. One swung his bat at Casey's head but Casey blocked it and ducked the sloppy right hook. "Gotta be faster than that, Purple Dragon Scum!"

"Casey! Come on we've got two minutes to get out of here!" Donatello warned as he whacked one Purple Dragon's arm hard enough to make him drop the chain he'd been holding and with another whack hit the kid upside the head knocking him out.

"Let's go!"

He heard Casey groan, but ignored it as he hurried back to the side of the building, scaling the fire escape as quickly as he could. He could hear the rattling of metal as Michelangelo hurried after him and then the clatter as a rather clumsy Casey noisily followed.

As soon as they hit the rooftop the three of them were running. They'd barely made it across the second rooftop when they heard the explosion. They paused and the wave of heat hit them.

"Dude! That was awesome!" Michelangelo crowed.

"Come on, let's find Raph and Leo and get home." Donatello sighed, relaxing now. It would take some time for Hun to repair the damage to his warehouse and the truck thanks to the additional bombs he'd placed along the right wall of the warehouse where the Dragons had been taking in the shipment's crates.

"Man those bombs of yours are so cool! Did you see the fire?"

"We need to get out of here before the authorities are notified," Donatello ignored Michelangelo's wide grin, and pulled up Leonardo's phone on his tracker. He frowned. "He and Raph haven't moved."

"They haven't?" The smile slid off of Michelangelo's face. Both brothers knew all too well if their brothers hadn't moved for a while, they couldn't.

"Come on its a few blocks north," Donatello was already running, holding his phone out in front of him as a guide, Michelangelo and Casey right behind him.

"Looks like we might see some real action after all," Casey said with a smirk.

Donatello's jaw clenched as he ran across the next roof, Michelangelo was easily keeping up with him, but suddenly his younger brother put on a burst of speed, outdistancing him. When Donatello looked up from the shell cell he saw why. He could see his brothers now, and he could see they were fighting with the Foot.

Donatello's eyes widened and he too pushed himself faster, outdistancing Casey as he rushed to get to his brothers' aid. He could see that they were outnumbered by at least six to one, and who knew how many more there might be, or if more were coming. He could also tell that though they were strong fighters, both of his brothers were tiring.

"Leo! LOOK OUT!" Donatello heard Michelangelo's nunchucks whistle as he threw himself into the fight without hesitation, his weapon wrapping around the blade of a katana that had been aiming for Leonardo's side. He jerked it away angrily and his nunchucks whistled again as he hit the unfortunate Foot soldier in the head with them.

Donatello landed lightly on the roof and took out a couple soldiers with his bo. There was more than he thought at first.

"Dey are like cockroaches... dey jus' keep comin' outta da woodwork," Raphael grunted under the pressure one Foot soldier was pressing on the katana he had caught. Raphael shifted his weight and brought his right leg back to get his center of balance back and with a quick move caught the Foot soldier on the side of the head with a punch.

Donatello heard Leonardo grunt as he caught a katana with his own, pushing the soldier back with a growl. One arm was curled protectively to his plastron obviously injured. Though how badly Donatello wasn't sure, but it obviously was too painful for Leonardo to use it in battle.

Raphael seemed to be supporting a few injuries himself. The worst one seemed to be a deep cut to his left arm that was still dripping blood. Instinctively Donatello fought to get to his brothers. They had to get out of here. There were too many.

He met the bo staff of a Foot solider, glaring at the mask as ducked the man's punch and caught him with a hard kick to the gut making the man double over, gagging.

"DON!"

Donatello turned just in time to see Raphael's dark green hand holding the dagger that would've gone right into Donatello's neck. Raphael's amber eyes were burning.

"LEO!"

Leonardo glanced at his red banded brother and nodded once. He backed up a few steps and took out another three soldiers. "MIKE! DON! WE'RE OUT!"

"GOONGALA!" Casey's battle cry joined the group, he hit two Foot soldiers across the back of their heads with a hockey stick. A third used his weapon to slice through it.

"HEY! Richards signed that!" Casey protested.

The soldier advanced on Casey and swung his katana at him. Casey dodged.

"CASEY! LET'S GO!"

Casey grabbed a bat and blocked a strike from an enemy katana, he brought a second around, hitting the soldier in the side with enough force to knock the air out of the Foot soldier, who slumped to his knees. Gasping.

Leonardo growled as two more Foot soldiers approached him, swords drawn. They attacked as one. He ducked the first and brought his katana up to meet the sword of the second. The soldier added pressure, earning him a snarl as Leonardo fought to gain his footing. In the reflection of his katana he could see the second Foot soldier turning and made a split second decision. He released the pressure and crouched just as the Foot attacked from behind, but instead of hitting his intended target his sword went through his companion's chest instead. Both fell to the ground with a grunt. Leonardo straightened, and hit his would be assassin with the hilt of his katana, knocking him out as the other bled out on the rooftop. He could see his brothers were making their way to the edge of the rooftop and knew it was now and never.

He turned and led the way, he had to get his brothers home. Had to keep them safe. He reached the edge of the roof and jumped, landing lightly on the balls of his feet on the next rooftop. He heard his brothers following, and a few seconds later Casey's rather ungraceful landing telling him that the vigilante was right behind. He also knew that the Foot were following. They had to lose them before they risked making their way back to the lair.

He glanced over his shoulder at Raphael, meeting his eyes. Raphael nodded, already knowing what they had to do. As one they split, Michelangelo and Raphael going one way, Donatello and Leonardo going the other. They would contact each other when they were safe.

"Hey! Wait up!" Casey called as he ran after Michelangelo and Raphael. Leonardo shook his head. Then led Donatello towards the heart of the city where there would be better places to hide and lose the Foot.

* * *

Takeshi growled, furious. How could they have lost the turtles?! They'd had them! They'd had all four of them cornered. He could have finished them off! He would have been greatly rewarded by Karai. But the incompetence of some of the newer soldiers had destroyed his chances.

They'd been looking for well over two hours now, after the turtles had made a cowardly retreat. And yet it was as if the turtles had vanished into thin air. Karai would not be pleased.

They had lost several soldiers tonight. Those turtles were nothing but killing machines. Not that Karai would be bothered by the loss of her soldiers. More would probably lose their lives after she learned of their inability to finish off the turtles. Her punishments were far worse than the Shredder's had been. Takeshi cringed a little at the thought of what she would do to him, it had been his mission. She'd assigned him to it – and Karai did not tolerate failure.

"Baka! You found nothing?!"

The remaining soldiers cowered under his furious glare, bowing their heads in the shame of the failure.

Takeshi growled again. He was sure that the turtles had returned to that filthy home of theirs. One day he would find it. One day he would find them. And when he did he would destroy them. But for now, he had to return to Karai and deliver the unpleasant news to her and hope she was in a merciful mood.


	9. Chapter 9

**Happy Sunday everyone. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. Thank you again to those who take the time to review. They are very much appreciated. **

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Elizabeth glanced at her phone and sighed before she turned the page of her book, adjusting a little on the couch. She couldn't sleep, not even if she wanted to. She was trying to pretend that she wasn't waiting up for Raphael, she knew he didn't like her worrying, but she couldn't help it. She knew how dangerous it could be for the guys to be out these days.

They should be back soon. Hopefully anyway. She knew Leonardo made sure they always got home well before daybreak, but it was getting late.

She tried to get back into her book, but she found herself reading the same paragraph four times and never took in a word. Frustrated she closed the book and leaned back against the armrest, closing her eyes, trying to calm her mind. Raphael would come home to her. He always did.

She wasn't sure if she'd dozed off or not but suddenly she heard voices, urgent voices. She opened her eyes and sat up to see a flash of red being led into the infirmary. Her stomach tightened and she quickly put her book on the coffee table before hurrying to the infirmary.

She saw Raphael sitting on one cot, Donatello's chocolate brown eyes were narrowed behind his mask and he was prodding a deep gash on Raphael's arm. Nausea rose in her belly but she pushed it down.

"It's going to need stitches, Raph."

"Raph?" Elizabeth hurried over to her husband.

Raphael's amber eyes snapped to her. "'Lizabeth? What are ya still doin' up? It's four in da mornin'."

"What happened?" Elizabeth ignored his question as she touched his good arm and looked at the bloody mess of his left.

"Da Foot," Raphael grunted.

"The Foot? I thought that you guys were stopping the Purple Dragons."

"Ya we were… den da Foot decided ta crash da party."

Elizabeth's grip tightened on his arm.

"I'm fine, 'Lizabeth, its jus' a cut."

Donatello snorted. "I'd hardly call that a cut, Raph. And you're lucky they didn't cut you an inch lower or they could've hit your artery. You've lost a lot of blood as it is."

On the opposite cot Leonardo shifted to get up.

"Oh no you don't, that elbow needs to be x-rayed, Leo. Elizabeth, can you get an ice pack? I want to try and get that swelling down."

Elizabeth glanced at the blue banded turtle, he was holding his right arm to his plastron, his left supporting and protecting it. It was badly swollen at the elbow, but it was spreading up towards his wrist. He'd obviously taken a bad hit. She nodded and hurried to the kitchen to grab an ice pack for her brother-in-law.

Donatello cleaned a place on Raphael's arm just above the injury and injected the pain killer. Raphael's jaw clenched but he didn't flinch. He was too used to stitches to be bothered by the process now.

"Ya t'ink it was coincidence dat da Foot jus' 'appened ta show up tonight?" Raph growled through clenched teeth as he stared at Leonardo.

"No, I don't," Leonardo said frowning as Donatello threaded a needle. "Takeshi was there, he only goes out on patrols when Karai sends him personally. If he was there tonight she had to have an inkling that we would be there. Which means this whole thing was planned. It wasn't a coincidence that Casey overheard the Purple Dragons talking about that military shipment. They wanted us to be there. It was a trap. Karai has allied herself with Hun. "

"Great cause fightin' jus' one or da other wasn't enough – now dey're tag teamin'," Raphael grumbled.

Donatello slid the needle into Raphael's skin and began to tie the stitches. "Well neither of you are going to be up to fighting anytime soon anyway. If that arm is broken, Leo, you shouldn't even be sparring with it. And Raph you could rip these stitches open. "

"If they have teamed up it has complicated things," Leo sighed.

"We could always ask Casey if he'd mind letting us go up to the farmhouse for a little while," Donatello suggested as he tied the next stitch and moved on to another. "It'd be nice to get away from all this for a little while."

"Doubt he'd mind. It's not a bad idea, Donny." Leonardo agreed.

"Here, Leo," Elizabeth said as she hurried back in with the ice pack.

Leonardo thanked her with a small smile as he placed it to his aching arm, barely suppressing a hiss as he did.

"I don't like runnin' away," Raphael growled. He tried to jerk as the needle pierced a particularly tender piece of flesh. Donatello grabbed his arm and glared at his brother.

"Hold still!"

"We wouldn't be running, Raph. But Don has a point, you can't fight with your arm like that."

"Yeah an' ya look like yer ready ta take on Karai all by yerself, Fearless," Raphael snapped.

"Raph, please… " Elizabeth touched his shoulder. "Don't."

Raphael huffed but turned his amber eyes to Donatello's work.

Elizabeth looked at Leonardo questioningly.

"Don suggested we go up to Casey's Grandma's farmhouse for a while, keep on the down low while our injuries heal."

Raphael snorted.

Elizabeth squeezed her husband's shoulder.

"Even without your injuries, Raph. It'd be nice to have a little down time," Donatello said gently as he moved on to the next stitch. "And the weather is nice. You know Akemi will love it up there. There's lots of places for her to explore and play outside. And I could fix that swing in the barn for her to play on."

Elizabeth felt a smile spreading across her face. Akemi would love that. "It sounds nice."

"It is. Been a long time since we've been there."

"Yeah fine I'll call da bone head while yer workin' on fearless over dere."

Leonardo shifted. "It's probably just bruised."

"Yeah, sure, an I just got a scratch."

Elizabeth shook her head and looked at Donatello, who was smirking a little despite his brother's bantering, but he didn't look up from his work.

"Did you at least stop the Purple Dragons?" Elizabeth asked.

"I never got dere, saw da Foot and decided ta cut dem off."

"Without backup," Leonardo growled. "And without even contacting us to let us know that you were in trouble!"

"I didn't t'ink dere were dat many. I t'ought I could 'andle it," Raphael glared at his older brother.

"Why didn't you hit the panic button on your shell cell when you realized you needed backup, Raph?"

"I was a little busy at da time! Ya know fightin' fer my life an' all!"

Leonardo's eyes narrowed. Raphael glared right back.

"You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Ya well I didn't. Otherwise I wouldn't be 'ere fer ya ta lecture me 'bout it."

"Raph, that's not funny."

Raphael glared at his wife then down at his arm. Elizabeth sighed.

Donatello tied the final stitch and then gently applied some antibiotic ointment before grabbing a gauze bandage and expertly wrapped Raphael's arm.

"Nothing strenuous with that arm for at least a week, Raph, otherwise you'll rip those stitches open again," Donatello said firmly. He cleaned the blood off his hands and walked over to Leonardo.

"Alright, Leo, let's get that arm x-rayed. See if its broken or just cracked."

Elizabeth took Raphael's hand. "Come to bed, Raph."

"I gotta call, Casey. I'll be up in a few minutes, 'Lizabeth." Raphael gently disengaged his hand and pulled out his shell cell. "Hey, head case… " Elizabeth saw him heading for the kitchen.

"Need any help, Don?"

Donatello shook his head as he gently straightened out his brother's arm, making Leonardo draw in a sharp breath.

Elizabeth slipped out of the infirmary and headed upstairs. She paused at her daughter's room, checking. Akemi was on her back, hands curled into fists up by her head, her dark curls fanned out behind her, framing her face. Her breathing still soft and even. She could sleep through anything. Elizabeth smiled and quietly closed the door as she headed for the room she and Raph shared, a hand on her flat stomach. She'd have to tell him. He needed to be more careful. Their family was growing. And she needed him.

* * *

Raphael entered their dark room on cat's feet, wondering if Elizabeth had already fallen asleep. He didn't want to wake his wife if she had. He'd let Donatello and Leonardo know that Casey and April didn't care if they used the farmhouse, though Raphael knew they wouldn't.

Leonardo's elbow was broken, though the break wasn't as bad as it could have been. Raph knew that Leonardo had taken more than one bad hit to that arm tonight, he was surprised it wasn't worse. The Foot had sensed weakness and had focused directly on Leonardo's right arm when they got close to the older turtle. Leonardo had done his best to protect it but Raphael knew that he had taken at least one or two more hits to it before the others had shown up.

Donatello had been busy setting it when Raphael had returned to the infirmary. Leonardo had listened to Raphael stoically and then nodded.

"We'll head out tomorrow, Raph. Let Mikey know."

"And get some sleep, Raph. If the pain gets too bad let me know and I can give you something… " Donatello had added.

Raphael's arm did hurt. But it was a familiar pain. At least the cut hadn't been to the tender skin between his plastron and carapace. He'd had a cut there once and he thought it would never heal. This wasn't nearly as bad.

On the bed Elizabeth shifted. "Raph?"

"Yer still awake?" He frowned as he walked over to the bed. She shifted, making room for him. He lay down next to her on his right side, resting his aching left arm over her body.

"I was waiting for you."

"Ya t'ink yer gonna 'ave da nightmare again?" Raphael asked concerned.

"No, but I need to talk to you about something."

"What is it, 'Lizabeth?" Raphael tried to think back to what they'd been talking about earlier that evening before Raphael had gotten the phone calls from Casey.

"Raph," Elizabeth turned so she could look at him straight in the face. She brought a hand up touching him just under his mask. "You really need to be more careful."

"'Lizabeth, honey, it's just a cut. I'm gonna be ok. Leo's da one wit' da broken arm."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Raph, that's not the point. You could've been killed tonight. What would I have done?"

Raphael was startled to feel a tear fall onto his right arm. Elizabeth had never been an overly emotional girl. Not once she felt safe here with him and his family anyway. When she'd first come to the lair after he'd brought her from the park… but that was different.

Ignoring the pain in his arm he brought his left hand up and gently stroked her cheek. "I came 'ome ta ya. We all came 'ome in one piece."

"Barely."

Raphael sighed. Perhaps Donatello was right. A trip up to the farm would be nice. Elizabeth had seemed rather strained lately. Maybe some time away would give her a break too.

"'Lizabeth, what's really eatin' at ya? Ya've been actin' funny fer a while now. Is it yer parents? Yer brother? Somet'in wrong?"

"No, Raph. They're all fine."

"Is it me den? Ya don't wanna be down 'ere wit' me anymore?"

Elizabeth drew a sharp breath and suddenly sat up, pulling out of his grip.

"What?" She sounded stung. "How could you even think that, Raph?"

"Well how else am I supposed ta feel? It's like yer tryin' ta avoid me 'alf da time!" Raphael felt anger churning in his gut. A knee jerk reaction to Elizabeth's own.

"Or is that what you want to see?"

"No! I ain't imaginin' stuff! Ya act like ya don't want nuttin' ta do wit' me, an' when we do stuff it's like ya don't wanna do nuttin' else fer a long time. Ya ain't actin' like yerself an I wanna know why! If ya don't wanna be 'ere, if dis place ain't what ya want fer yerself or Akemi den ya don't gotta stay!"

Raphael found himself on his feet with no conscious effort to do so. He was suddenly feeling trapped, he needed air.

"Raph!"

"I'm goin' for a walk."

"Raph, no! Please!"

Raphael waved her off.

"Raph!" A hand caught his arm and he turned, fist clenched automatically. She flinched and backed away from him.

Raphael froze. Elizabeth had never flinched away from him before. Had never cringed that way.

"I… wasn't gonna 'it ya, 'Lizabeth," Raphael said gruffly. He took a deep breath. "Look fer what it's worth… I don't want ya ta leave. I love ya, an I love Akemi… yer da most incredible woman I've ever met. But I understand, we ain't normal and… " he trailed off. She deserved better. She deserved a human. Someone who didn't make her hide from the world. Someone who could give her everything she wanted. Someone who she could just be normal with.

"Hamato Raphael!" Elizabeth's voice was suddenly sharp. He refused to look at her.

Elizabeth stepped forward and tilted his head up making him look as her other hand took his. He forced himself to relax, so as not to startle or scare his wife again. "I know I've been acting off… I wasn't trying to push you away. I don't want to leave. I love it here with you. With your brothers. And Akemi is so happy here. You're such a great father to her."

"Den what's goin' on? Please jus' talk ta me!"

"Raph, I wasn't sure how to tell you… I wasn't sure how you'd feel."

Raphael's amber eyes narrowed.

"Raph," Elizabeth drew a deep breath, as if to calm herself before she met his eyes evenly. "Raph, I'm pregnant."

Of all the things he'd expected her to say this hadn't been one of them. His eyes widened in shock and his jaw dropped for a few seconds before he remembered how to shut his mouth. "Yer… yer… really?"

"I was scared you wouldn't be happy, that you wouldn't want another baby. Or that you might feel differently about Akemi. And I was scared about upsetting you if I told you and I lost it… and I… "

Raphael's arms wrapped around her pulling her close and his mouth suddenly pressed to hers. With his right arm he lifted her up, her arms wrapped around his neck as her tears splashed onto his face. She felt him twirl her around before he set her down and broke the kiss.

"We're gonna 'ave a baby?" His hand touched her flat stomach.

She covered his hand with her own and smiled up into his face. "We're gonna have a baby, Raph."

Raphael's mouth found hers again, his own tears now mixing with hers. In that kiss all of Elizabeth's doubts melted away. Raphael was thrilled, and she knew this wouldn't change how he felt about Akemi. He would always love her. Her heart beat faster as the kiss deepened. Again she felt herself lifted and he put her gently on the bed, joining her. They said nothing else the rest of the night.


	10. Chapter 10

**And so the family goes on a vacation... well sort of. Ha ha. Hope everyone is having a great week so far. Thank you again for those who've taken the time to review it is always greatly appreciated. Hope you have a great rest of the week. I'll be back Sunday.**

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**Chapter 10**

The next morning seemed rather hurried to Elizabeth. She had her hands full trying to get Akemi's bag packed along with her own. She was silently grateful that she didn't have to pack a suitcase full of clothes for Raphael as well. It made one less bag they had to pack.

Raphael had been a bit grumpy that morning at first, Elizabeth knew his arm had been hurting him and urged him to go see Donatello to get something for the pain.

At first he'd refused, but finally he'd wandered off towards Donatello's lab.

Elizabeth folded another pair of pajama bottoms into her suitcase. She could hear Michelangelo excitedly talking to Melinda downstairs about how much she'd love the farmhouse, and Melinda's skeptical responses.

Elizabeth smiled to herself. Melinda really wasn't the outdoorsy type. She also knew that the only reason that Melinda was even going was because she couldn't stand being away from Michelangelo for hardly any length of time. Michelangelo really did have her wrapped around his fingers. Though, Elizabeth knew from experience it was hard not to love Michelangelo. He was so easy to love with his fun outgoing personality and quirky sense of humor.

"Leo's jus' about ready ta go. Ya all packed?"

The voice made her jump. She hadn't heard Raphael come upstairs. She put a hand over her racing heart and turned to glare at her husband. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Raphael smirked.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "No you aren't."

He chuckled softly as he walked further into the room.

Elizabeth picked up the last shirt she'd selected and put it on top of the pile before closing the suitcase.

"They have a washing machine there?"

"Yep, an' a shower, an hot runnin' water. Ya don't gotta haul water in from da well."

Elizabeth scowled and smacked his good arm.

He chuckled again.

She zipped up her suitcase but as she started to lift it off the bed Raphael's playful tone suddenly changed.

"Hey! What do ya t'ink yer doin'?" He grabbed her arm stopping her.

"I'm moving my suitcase. I thought you said Leonardo is waiting."

"He is but ya ain't liftin' dat." Raphael growled as he grabbed the handle to her suitcase.

"Raph, I can handle it! You have stitches. You shouldn't do any heavy lifting."

"An yer pregnant. Ya should take yer own advice."

"It's not that heavy."

"Den I can handle it. 'Sides, " his smirk was suddenly back. "I got off easy, Mike's got two big suitcases he's carrying fer Melinda downstairs. Dey gotta weigh fifty pounds each."

Elizabeth laughed softly. "Only two? She must be roughing it."

"She t'inks she is," Raph was clearly amused.

Elizabeth shook her head but grinned. Raphael lifted her suitcase.

"Raph, are you sure? I don't want Don yelling at me."

"I'm fine – usin' my right hand anyway." Raph said showing her his free bandaged left arm. "Ya sure ya packed enough?"

"I have everything I need. Including my vitamins. Don't worry, Raph."

"Come on den, Akemi's bag is already downstairs. Dey don't gotta TV dere, so I packed 'er some books instead. Jus' in case. But dere will be lots fer 'er ta do out outside anyway. She'll love it."

"I'm sure she will." Elizabeth reassured him.

She followed him out of the room and down the stairs. She suppressed the grin as she saw Michelangelo lugging the two big suitcases towards the elevator with Melinda hovering behind, warning him to be careful because her curling iron and blow dryer were in the outside pockets.

"Raph, you really shouldn't be… "

"I ain't usin' my bad arm, Don. I got dis. It ain't 'eavy,"

Donatello frowned after his brother as Raphael headed for the elevator. After setting Leonardo's arm last night he'd gone and replaced the fan belt in the battle shell so it would be ready for them this morning. He'd also carefully gone over Elizabeth's car. He'd been surprised last night when Raphael had told them that he'd taken Elizabeth's car to meet up with them. The brothers had doubled back to retrieve it and had dropped Casey off at home before they'd returned to the lair. Everything seemed to be running smoothly now so hopefully it stayed that way.

"You ready, Don?" Leonardo asked.

Elizabeth's eyes snapped to the blue banded turtle. He was holding Akemi in his good arm, her arms wrapped around his neck, holding a stuffed Nala by the tail that gently bumped against his carapace as he walked. His right arm was bound tightly and in a sling, but not casted. She frowned. It really should be casted to support the break properly.

"Yeah, Leo, I've got everything I need."

"Good, let's try and head out in ten." Spotting Elizabeth Leonardo adjusted Akemi and handed her off to her mother. Akemi sighed but pushed into her mother's chest, holding Nala close. "I'll get Master Splinter."

"Ok, Leo."

As the older turtle slipped into the rat's quarters Elizabeth looked at Donatello, eyebrows raised. "Shouldn't he have a cast on?"

Donatello shook his head. "Leo doesn't like casts. The splint I put on will support the break, as long as he doesn't use it and gives it time to heal he'll be fine. We all heal pretty fast, Elizabeth."

"I know, Don, but this is different from the time Mike broke his toe." Elizabeth frowned as she adjusted her daughter.

"It'll be fine. I have some medical stuff in my bag if we need it while we're out there, and April and Casey have stocked a pretty exclusive first aid kit up at the farmhouse as well," Donatello reassured.

"Ok, Don. Well I'd better go get her in her car seat."

"Melinda is going to go with you, and Mikey asked if you'd mind taking Klunk as well. He's in his cat carrier already."

"Oh, um sure that's fine," Elizabeth agreed, she looked for the cat carrier.

"Michelangelo already took him up to the warehouse. He can be a bit cranky when he's in his cat carrier."

Elizabeth sighed and rubbed her temple, she was going to have to put up with a yowling cat for who knew how many hours.

"He'll settle down after you get going. I gave Melinda a GPS with the address already plugged in. But we all have our shell cells if you have trouble finding it."

"Sounds good, Don. Thanks," Elizabeth said tiredly. It was going to be a long day. She could feel it already.

"You feeling ok, Elizabeth? You still look a little pale," Donatello frowned. "You feeling sick?"

"No, I'm ok. It was just a long night is all."

"Maybe you should have Melinda drive then. The GPS has voice activation as well. That way you could grab a couple hours sleep."

"I might just do that," Elizabeth said nodding.

"Mikey packed some food for you guys so you don't have to stop for lunch on the way. There's a few sandwiches and sodas, and there's some animal crackers and fruit snacks too. He's put them in the backseat of the car already."

"Ok great. Thanks, Donny."

Donatello smiled and headed to his lab to grab his bag. Elizabeth took the elevator up to the warehouse where Raphael, Michelangelo, and Melinda were waiting. Raphael and Michelangelo had donned street clothes to better hide their shapes while they were driving through the busy city streets. It gave them a rather bulky appearance and it was odd seeing them in clothes, Elizabeth was so used to seeing them go without them.

Michelangelo had Melinda wrapped up in his arms, holding her close, her head tucked under his chin, her eyes closed contentedly.

Raphael was leaning against the driver's door to Elizabeth's car, with his baggy street clothes he looked like a punk rock fan. She suppressed the urge to laugh but smiled a little as she got closer. He watched her approach, his amber eyes softening as she opened the back door and put Akemi into the car seat. Raphael shifted and moved slightly so he could reach in and tickle Akemi under the chin. She grinned and buried her face into her stuffed Nala.

"We'll see ya in a few hours kiddo, be good fer yer mom."

"Ok, daddy."

Raphael turned to Elizabeth and wrapped her up in a gentle hug. Elizabeth pushed into him. She knew that while at night the tinted windows of her car were dark enough to hide the turtles' shapes, during the day it was far too dangerous for them to ride in it. She knew that the safest way for the turtles to get out of town would be in the battle shell. That didn't mean she liked it. She wanted to be with Raphael. It was hard for her to be away from him for too long. It was almost a physical pain to be away from him. But she knew she'd see him in a few hours. Just a few hours.

"Drive careful," Raphael said a bit gruffly. "An' call if ya run inta any problems."

"Don't worry, Raph." Elizabeth said teasingly as she smiled up at her husband. "You'll get wrinkles."

He rolled his eyes before he brought his mouth to hers in a soft kiss.

"Hey, Elizabeth, would you mind taking Klunk with you?" Michelangelo asked hopefully as Raphael broke the kiss.

"That's fine, Mike," Elizabeth gave the younger turtle a smile. He picked up the cat carrier, which made Klunk start to yowl again.

"He isn't going to do that the whole way is he?" Melinda asked, frowning.

"Nah, he'll calm down once you get going. He's a pretty reasonable cat after all," Michelangelo grinned. He walked over to the car and put the cat carrier on the floor behind the passenger seat.

"Would you mind driving for a little while, Melinda?" Elizabeth asked the other woman.

Melinda shook her head. "That's fine," she caught the keys that Elizabeth tossed to her. Melinda gave Michelangelo another hug, followed by a quick kiss before she headed around to the driver's side door.

Elizabeth found herself pulled into one last hug as the elevator doors opened and Leonardo, Splinter and Donatello entered the warehouse, though they weren't wearing their street clothes yet Elizabeth knew they'd have them on before they left the warehouse.

"I love ya." Raphael said so softly that she knew the others wouldn't hear. Raphael wasn't one for openly expressing his emotions in front of his brothers.

"I love you too." She whispered back.

Raphael's mouth met hers briefly and then he let her go, opening the passenger side door for her. She slid in and grabbed her seat belt, pulling it across her lap and chest and buckled it into place. Once she was settled Raphael shut the door softly.

A minute later Melinda joined her, Michelangelo shut the door after her before he and Raph climbed into the battle shell.

"You going to grab a nap?" Melinda asked as she turned on the GPS, turning on the voice activation.

"Maybe, didn't sleep that much to be honest."

"Well if you can grab one you probably should. I've got the voice activation on this and I'll be following the guys, if there's a problem I'll wake you up."

"Thanks, Melinda." Elizabeth said with a sigh as she leaned her head back against the head rest, closing her eyes.

She heard the battle shell's engine start with a dull roar, then heard it idle for a minute as Melinda turned the key starting up the smaller car's engine. Then felt the car shift as they left the warehouse.

"In thirty yards turn right," a computerized voice instructed.

Carefully Melinda maneuvered out into traffic following the battle shell. Elizabeth was asleep before they'd gone more than five blocks.

* * *

Raphael glanced in the rear view mirror for the sixth time in the last half an hour, as if to make sure that Elizabeth's car was still right behind them.

They were almost there now, and with Michelangelo's constant drumming of his fingers on his plastron and nodding of his head as he listened to his headphones Raphael's nerves were strung tight. He'd kept glancing back the whole trip up here, making sure that Elizabeth's car was still right behind them. Every half hour or so Michelangelo would call to talk to Melinda until Donatello had made him stop, chiding him for distracting Melinda from her driving. Despite Michelangelo's insistence that he was checking on Klunk, Donny wasn't fooled and neither was Raphael.

Truth be told he was tempted to call Elizabeth, but Michelangelo had told him that she had fallen asleep not long after they'd left the warehouse. Raphael was content to let her sleep. She needed it.

A baby. Another one. What would the others think of it? He was sure they would be excited for him and Elizabeth. But he had never thought such a thing was possible. With the mutation… but would Elizabeth be able to carry the baby to term? What if there were complications?

When Akemi had been born she'd had some medical problems that had made her stay at the hospital until they had been fixed. What if the same thing happened this time? But this time there wouldn't be a hospital. What if Elizabeth had problems? He remembered some of the things Donatello had told him when Elizabeth had been pregnant with Akemi. Pregnancies could be dangerous for the mother as well.

The thought of something happening to Elizabeth made him feel sick. He didn't know what he'd do without her. She completed him in ways his brothers couldn't. She balanced him in ways that Splinter and Leonardo had tried to help him with for years. She was his other half. He couldn't be without her now. Not when he knew how incredible life with her was.

It was like Michelangelo with Melinda. He'd found someone who balanced him well. Melinda was fun, she loved to play video games with Michelangelo and watch the same boring super hero movies over and over that Michelangelo loved so much. But she also helped Michelangelo focus when it was important. He had grown more serious when they were out on patrols, had taken the situations more seriously, because he'd had one more reason to get home safely every night they went out.

Sure Melinda could be a bit over the top with her shopping sometimes, Raphael didn't understand why she needed so many pairs of shoes, she only had two feet. It didn't seem to balance out for him, but he wasn't a human – or a woman. Women always seemed to like have more than they needed when it came to clothes. Well, except Elizabeth, she seemed content with her tired sneakers. Raphael liked that about her.

But besides her shopping addiction, and fear of bugs – which Raphael could completely understand, Melinda was great. She made Michelangelo happy, which made Raphael happy. He hadn't been at all sure if she would fit in when she'd first moved in with them. Especially since Michelangelo had been having memory problems at the time, but it was while he hadn't remembered who his brothers were that Michelangelo had grown dependent on Melinda. She'd set him at ease and had made him feel more comfortable there in the lair. And while it had been frustrating in some ways, it made Raphael happy that Michelangelo had had someone who seemed to understand him at the time.

When Michelangelo's memories had returned all the brothers had been worried about how they were going to explain who Melinda was to him, but they hadn't had to worry. With Michelangelo's outgoing personality he'd quickly seen to it to make friends with Melinda. Over the last year their relationship had grown. The roots growing so deep they could never be ripped out.

Donatello pulled into the drive that led up to the farmhouse, and a few seconds later Elizabeth's car followed. As soon as Donatello came to a stop in front of the tired looking farm house Raphael was opening his door and getting out of the car.

He saw Elizabeth getting out as well, she paused as she looked up at the tired looking old farm house. Over the years Casey had been working on some improvements on the place, replacing shutters and adding a fresh coat of paint. But there was still a lot of work to be done, and he wasn't here that often.

The meadows behind the house and the barn were full of tall grass and wild flowers thanks to the warm summer season. The birds called happily to each other back and forth in the trees, a light breeze danced across the treetops.

The newest thing on the property was the barn, something that the turtles had helped Casey and April rebuild after it had been destroyed at the couple's wedding. Not that Casey used it for much, Raphael had a feeling that Casey had just wanted it built up for sentimental purposes, but he hadn't minded the work. The barn was a nice place for them to go when they came out to visit. He remembered the first time they had come out to the farmhouse, after Leonardo had almost been killed when he'd been ambushed by the Foot one morning.

When he'd recovered enough to leave the couch Leonardo had wandered out to the barn and stayed there, a refuge from the curious and worried eyes of his family as he fought the injuries that had plagued his mind. At least until Raphael had gone out there and talked his brother into forging some new weapons for him. Working together out in the old barn, not speaking to each other, but working side by side had brought the brothers closer together, and as they'd worked Raphael had noticed a change in his brother. His big brother had transformed in those hours, and the old Leonardo had come back.

"It's not much," Raphael said as he approached his wife. "But it's nice an' quiet out 'ere… "

"It's beautiful, Raph," Elizabeth's eyes danced. "Look at the flowers, and the trees are so beautiful."

Raphael smiled. Elizabeth had grown up on a ranch, she could appreciate this place for what it was.

"What do you think, Melinda? Pretty sweet huh?" Michelangelo grinned as he opened the door for Melinda to get out.

Melinda blinked as she looked around the place. Taking in the old house and the rickety old swing on the front porch. She surprised Raphael by smiling. "Wow, Mike, this is so nice… " She drew a deep breath, grinning at the fresh air.

"Come on!" Michelangelo insisted as he grabbed her hand. "I'll show you around the place. After we take Klunk inside."

Melinda allowed him to lead her around the car, where he retrieved a freshly yowling Klunk from the back seat and led her up to the house.

"I should get Akemi out of the car," Elizabeth said. "I'm sure she'll have to use the bathroom, and then she'll probably want to play."

"Probably," Raphael agreed. He tugged the itchy sweatshirt off his head and wadded it up into a ball under his arm. That was better.

Elizabeth chuckled, but when he looked at her curiously she just shook her head and made her way to the back of the car, unbuckling Akemi's car seat and pulled the toddler out of the car.

Akemi blinked looking around at her new surroundings. She pointed excitedly to the wild flowers growing in the back.

"Look, mom! Look!" She cried unable to contain her excitement.

Elizabeth smiled. "I see, baby. How about we go use the bathroom then you can go pick some nice flowers for me?"

Akemi nodded eagerly as Elizabeth headed for the house. She paused and looked back at Raphael. "Unless you want me to help with the bags, Raph. Is your arm alright?"

"I'm fine, 'Lizabeth," Raphael said firmly. "I can 'andle da bags."

"If you're sure… " Elizabeth looked uncertain.

"I said I got it, don't worry so much," Raphael tossed the wadded up shirt into the battle shell, nearly hitting Leonardo as turned with a couple bags in hand.

Leonardo scowled. "Nice, Raph."

Raphael smirked. "Jus' keepin' ya on yer toes, big brother."


	11. Chapter 11

**Happy Sunday everyone. Hope that everyone has had a good weekend so far. Thank you again for those who take the time to review, it is always greatly appreciated. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekend. I'll be back Wednesday. **

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**Vickie C: Thanks for the review. I'm trying really hard to keep ahead of this story so I can post consistently. As long as I have readers interested in it I will continue to post. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. :)**

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**Chapter 11**

"You want anything specific from the grocery store, Don?"

Donatello looked up from his laptop. It had taken everyone less than an hour to settle in and then everyone had gone off on their own ways. Donatello had seen Master Splinter heading upstairs to meditate while Leonardo had gone off into the back yard to do some training exercises, running through some basic katas he could do with one arm. Michelangelo had offered to take Akemi on a walk through the woods surrounding the house so she could pick wild flowers, and he'd seen Raphael setting up his hammock and relaxing in the shade, where Elizabeth had soon joined him.

"Mikey suggested we do a hot dog roast with s'mores for dinner tonight, " Melinda said grinning. "I thought it sounded like fun. And I figured we could use some other things while I was out too. Was there anything you wanted?"

"Could you get some coffee?"

"I could have guessed that one," Melinda teased with a wide smile.

She's pretty when she smiles, Don thought to himself. He gave himself a mental shake.

"I can't think of anything else, Melinda. Anything you want to get is fine."

"Ok, Don, if you think of anything else just give me a call."

"Actually I think they have a hardware store in town, would you mind stopping there for me and seeing if they have some of these?" Donatello held up the destroyed wires from the broken security camera he'd brought with him. He might as well try and get some work done while he was out here.

"I really don't know that much about this kind of stuff, Donny," Melinda said doubtfully. "I don't want to get the wrong ones… "

"I'm sure there will be someone there who can help you," Donatello pointed out.

"Ok, I'll try, Don," Melinda said as she took the wires from him.

"Thanks, Melinda," Donatello shot her a grin before his eyes snapped back to his computer screen.

Melinda sighed and added coffee to her growing shopping list before she left him to his work. Getting Donatello to stop working when there were things that needed to be fixed was like asking Michelangelo to stop playing online video games when there was a big challenge coming up. It was impossible.

Glancing at her list and mentally checking to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything Melinda picked up the keys to Elizabeth's car, stepped over a contentedly purring Klunk and softly shut the door behind her so as not to disturb the rat upstairs.

* * *

Donatello frowned at his computer screen. How could the internet signal be lost? He'd expanded the range of it so he'd always be able to use the internet out here. Tapping a few keys he tried again, but without success. Frustrated he tried expanding the range out further, hoping to pick up a signal, but the wireless signal continued to be frustratingly unobtainable.

With a frustrated sigh Donatello closed his laptop. He'd try it again later. There was always the possibility that there was a glitch in the system itself and not his computer. He stood, stretching, feeling his muscles loosen and his joints pop and slide back into place.

Had he really been working on his computer that long to feel a little stiff? He hadn't even noticed until now. He glanced outside. The sun had started to sink down towards the horizon. Though wasn't very low in the sky yet, the temperature cooling a little, he could feel the breeze through the window Melinda had opened to help air out the place.

He could hear Akemi and Michelangelo laughing in the front yard, probably playing some kind of game. There wasn't anything either one of them liked more than a good game, and Akemi was obviously having a blast if her high pitched squeals were any indication anyway.

Perhaps he would go for a short walk out in the woods. He wouldn't be gone too long, and it would be nice to stretch his legs. Maybe he could even find some wild spearmint to help calm Elizabeth's nausea.

Grabbing his bo staff Donatello slid it into place on his shell and slipped out the back door. He could see Leonardo was meditating now, sitting quietly under the shade of a tree on the other side of the yard, away from the distracting sounds of Michelangelo and Akemi's game. He knew his brother would probably object to him wandering off alone, but he wouldn't go too far. He'd be back before Leonardo realized he was missing.

The canopy of trees was cool, and the temperature had dropped a little now that the sun had fallen from the middle of the sky. With the birds chirping and the sound of small animals skittering across the dry leaf litter it made the late afternoon peaceful.

No wonder Leonardo liked coming out here to meditate whenever they visited. It was hard not to feel as though one really connected with nature here. It was so different from the city, so different from the noises they were used to. But it was nice.

Donatello paused touching the worn bark on one of the older trees. The bark was rough against his finger tips, with a few imperfections here and there made from tiny claws as squirrels had raced up and down the trunk of the tree as they had gathered up their supply of nuts for the winter.

Donatello chuckled as he recognized one tree in particular. It was where he and Michelangelo had hidden from Dr. Abigail Finn when she'd come out here searching for monsters and had ended up hunting Michelangelo thanks to Casey's neighbor's video tape of him. Donatello knew they'd had to get that video tape away from her. Michelangelo had contentedly eaten pistachio nuts while Donatello had strained to hear what Dr. Finn had been saying to her associate.

In the end they had discovered a real "green man monster" out here in the wood and had saved it from the doctor's containment unit, setting it free and using Casey as a replacement for it had destroyed what had remained of Finn's reputation.

He chuckled at the memory. It had been so funny seeing Casey walking out of the woods covered in Michelangelo's idea of a disguise.

It didn't seem like it was that long ago, but so much had changed since then. Everything was different now.

He walked further into the trees, stopping occasionally to examine some of the wild growing mushrooms. Fascinating. There was always so much to explore out here.

His eyes scanned the soft undergrowth. He knew he'd seen some wild spearmint growing out here somewhere… he knew he hadn't passed it. He was sure he'd seen it not too far from the house the first time he'd seen it.

The sun was creeping lower in the sky now, and the temperature felt cooler. He sighed. Perhaps he'd come look tomorrow when he had more time to search. He knew that he should head back. Leonardo was sure to have noticed his absence by now.

He sighed as he turned back for the farmhouse. As he got closer to the edge of the woods he saw the flickering light from the fire and heard the wood pop and snap as the fire ate away at it.

As he got closer he could see Raphael was already sitting on a log by the fire, Akemi on his lap. She pointed excitedly at the fire and said something that Donatello couldn't hear.

Raphael nodded, his amber eyes seemed lit themselves as he watched the fire burn. His eyes snapped up as Don approached.

"Bout time ya got 'ere, genius. Fearless was 'bout ta go look fer ya."

Donatello flinched as he sat down across the fire from his brother. "I guess I lost track of the time."

Raphael smirked. "Least ya got back before Mike could eat everyt'ing."

"I heard that," Michelangelo piped in as he, Melinda and Elizabeth joined the two of them, carrying plates of food and cans of soda.

Melinda laughed softly as she put the plate she was carrying down. "He does have a point, Mikey. I've seen you devour a whole pizza by yourself in under fifteen minutes."

"Well I have to save room for the s'mores tonight," Michelangelo said with a cheeky grin.

Melinda rolled her eyes but grinned.

"Hey, Elizabeth you got onions right? I love onions on my hotdogs."

Melinda made a face. "Iew, Mike… onions give you the worst breath… "She complained.

Michelangelo grinned wickedly and grabbed his girlfriend around the waist. She gasped startled. "Better kiss me now because I'm eating a lot of them." He wiggled his eye ridges teasingly.

Elizabeth smirked as she watched the couple. She set down her plate and sat next to Raphael, leaning against him. He shifted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She rested her head against his shoulder, content.

"Stop it, Mike, you're going to knock something over," Melinda wiggled in Michelangelo's grip.

"After you give me a kiss," He grinned wickedly.

She frowned and reached for his sides, finding the soft sensitive skin and tickled. Making him jerk and let her go. "HEY! No cheating!"

Melinda laughed as she wiggled away from him. She grabbed a soda and sat down on a log. She popped the can and took a long drink. "Serves you right."

Michelangelo smirked as he grabbed a soda himself and sat next to his girlfriend.

It only took a couple more minutes for Leonardo and Splinter to join the group and before long several hot dogs were roasting over the open flames.

Melinda swatted at a mosquito and rubbed at her exposed arms and looked up at the sky, it was so different here from the city. The stars seemed so bright. They sparkled in the black sky.

"You cold, Melinda?" Michelangelo asked as he pulled back the poker he was cooking the hotdogs on to pinch one, seeing if it was ready yet. The outside was blackening steadily, but he obviously wasn't satisfied with how it felt since he put the hotdogs back over the fire.

"No, I'm ok, Mike," Melinda promised as she leaned against him. He wrapped his free arm around her.

"Where did you go on your walk, Donny?" Elizabeth asked as she looked across the fire to her brother-in-law.

"Just a couple miles inside the woods, there's always a lot of interesting plant specimens to study. I found some wild mushrooms. "

Michelangelo snorted. Trust Donatello to make nature boring. Where Donatello liked to stop and study every little thing he encountered, Michelangelo just enjoyed the beauty of it as a whole. Taking Akemi out with him today had made it all seem so new to him all over again. She had been fascinated by everything that had moved and had picked as many flowers as she could carry for Elizabeth. Michelangelo had joined her when they'd come across a big patch of different colored wild flowers, making a mixed bouquet to take back to Melinda. She'd been thrilled with the surprise and had found a couple vases for both bouquets of flowers that Michelangelo and Akemi had brought back.

Akemi had happily helped her fill them with water and had carefully arranged the flowers the way she wanted them before she'd taken them to show to Elizabeth, while Melinda had taken the flowers Michelangelo had picked for her up to the room she and Michelangelo was sharing. He'd seen them sitting on the dresser and had beamed. They had brightened up the room, and he had seen how excited she'd been at the gift.

Michelangelo couldn't wait to come back here someday, when he and Melinda had a child of their own, he couldn't wait to share the excitement with them like he had with Akemi this afternoon.

Melinda shifted next to him getting more comfortable.

"You think April and Casey will come up too, Raph?" Mikey asked as he flashed a grin at his brother.

"They ain't sure if dey'll be able to, Mike. April 'as a lot she's gotta get done in da shop, an Casey don't wanna leave 'er 'ome alone."

Leonardo pulled his poker out of the fire and tested his hotdog. He seemed satisfied with it as he pulled it off the poker and slid it onto his waiting bun. "Well we can definitely work on some stealth training while we're up here."

His brothers groaned in unison.

"Come on, Leo, we jus' got 'ere," Raphael grumbled as he pulled the three hotdogs he was cooking back and slid all of them onto buns.

"Just because we aren't in the city doesn't mean we shouldn't train, Raph," Leonardo said with a frown. He squirted some mustard and ketchup onto his hotdog.

Elizabeth picked up the ketchup bottle and squirted a fine line along the length of the hotdog for Akemi before handing it to her daughter.

Raphael grabbed the mustard, relish and onions for his hotdog, almost burying it under all the toppings.

"Hey, save some of the onions, Raph," Michelangelo protested.

"No please, help yourself," Melinda urged.

"Dere is still plenty left, shell head," Raphael said as he passed the bowl of onions down to his youngest brother.

Melinda made a face as she spooned some chili onto her own hotdog and sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. She took a bit and chili spilled over the edge of the bun. Automatically she held her free hand under it, catching the extra before it could fall onto her pants.

Michelangelo chuckled as he handed her a napkin before he spread ketchup, mustard, onions and relish on his own hotdog and took an eager bite.

Donatello pulled his own hotdog out of the fire and slid it onto his bun. He paused though seeing Elizabeth looking at her hotdog in distaste, her nose wrinkled a little.

"Aren't you hungry, Elizabeth?" Donatello asked.

Everyone stopped eating and looked at Elizabeth. Even in the dull lighting Donatello could see Elizabeth's cheeks go a little pink.

"Um… no not really," Elizabeth said at last.

"Can I eat yours then?" Michelangelo asked eagerly.

Raphael growled and reached over, smacking Michelangelo upside the head.

"Ow! Hey!"

"Sure, Mike… " Elizabeth said as she passed the hotdog to the younger turtle.

Raphael shot her a worried glance. "Ya want somet'in else?"

"No, really I'm ok, Raph." Elizabeth sighed.

Akemi took her last bite of hotdog and licked some ketchup off her fingers. "More hotdog please."

Raphael automatically picked up a poker and stuck a couple more raw hotdogs onto the end before sticking it over the fire.

Donatello spread a bit of mustard onto his hotdog, watching Elizabeth worriedly as he bit into his own hotdog.

Elizabeth shifted feeling his gaze and finally looked at him. "Don, I'm fine."

Donatello's eyes narrowed a little. "Are you sure?"

"If I wasn't I would say so," Elizabeth was getting irritated. She hated being constantly hovered over.

"Drop it, Don." Raphael warned as he finished his hotdog.

Donatello frowned but dropped his eyes from Elizabeth.

"You want to try cooking the next batch?" Michelangelo asked Melinda as he pushed more hotdogs onto the poker.

"You want to eat charcoaled hotdogs, Mike?" Melinda asked uncertainly.

"Aw, come on it's easy. All you do is turn them when they start getting dark on one side," Michelangelo coaxed as he handed her the poker.

Melinda sighed but leaned forward, holding the hotdogs over the fire.

"Did you get enough to eat, Sensei?" Leonardo asked as he picked his own poker back up.

"Yes, my son," Splinter reassured him. "What time do you intend to start your training?"

Leonardo thought carefully about this for a minute. "If we go while it is still dark it'll give us better cover."

"Whoa, you mean we have to get up early?" Michelangelo protested.

"Or we could start tonight if you'd like, Mike," Leonardo said easily. "We should probably do some practicing while there's light out as well… "

Raphael grumbled something that Elizabeth didn't catch as he checked the hotdogs.

Elizabeth squeezed his arm and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Or we could stay here and tell ghost stories," Michelangelo grinned. "I've got some good ones… "

"Don't you think that'll scare Akemi, Mikey?" Raph asked pointedly.

"Actually, Raph," Elizabeth pointed at their daughter, who was fast asleep her head tilted to one side on Raphael's plastron. "It seems to me she's pretty worn out."

Raphael chuckled. Elizabeth reached for her and Raphael allowed Elizabeth to take her from him.

Akemi frowned a little, opening her eyes briefly before she closed them again. Cradling her daughter gently, Elizabeth slowly stood up so as not to disturb her daughter. "I'm going to go put her to bed. "

Raphael nodded, knowing Elizabeth wouldn't be coming back either. She wasn't going to leave Akemi alone in the house, but he could tell she wasn't feeling very good despite what she had told Donatello.

"I'll be in later… " he promised.

She smiled at him and headed for the house.

She could hear laughter as she reached the house and smiled, looking back at her family. It was so nice to seem them all so relaxed. She even caught the warm sound of Leonardo's laughter. It had been a long time since he'd laughed like that.

Coming out here had been a good idea. She looked down at her daughter, brushing a curl away from her daughter's face and headed into the house, the door shutting softly behind her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy Wednesday everyone. You know what that means a new update. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week. Thank you to those who take the time to review, might not seem like much but its nice to know I have readers who are enjoying this makes all the work I put into it worth while. I'll be back Wednesday.**

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Donatello yawned trying to hide how tired he was without much success, earning him a dark look from his oldest brother. Donatello couldn't help it. He hadn't even had his morning coffee yet and Leonardo's lectures weren't exactly new. In fact a few of them he knew by heart.

"Ok, guys, the name of the game is ninjitsu stealth and heightened senses… " Leonardo said as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

"Or in other words, hide and seek," Michelangelo said with a grin.

"You aren't going to be able to climb trees with that arm, Leo." Donatello pointed out.

"I know, Don. So I'll be it." Leonardo sat in his lotus position, closing his eyes.

Michelangelo grinned. He loved this game, though he was usually the first one found, trying to beat Leonardo at this game was always a challenge, and there was nothing he liked better than a challenge. "Ready… one, two, three. GO!" He and he was off, taking to the trees like a monkey, shaking a few leaves loose as he went.

Raphael shook his head but he too took off in the same direction, while Donatello trailed them both. After a few yards Raphael split off heading south. Donatello grabbed a low hanging branch and swung over a small patch of foliage and then landing lightly on the balls of his feet headed north. The sooner they were done training, the sooner he could have his coffee.

* * *

Sabrina Richards stepped out onto her back porch, stretching a little. The summer day was already getting warm even though the sun was still low in the sky. It was going to be another warm day. Perhaps she would get some gardening done today, some of her carrots and peas were ready to be picked. Or perhaps she would plant those flower bulbs she'd gotten the other day.

An enthusiastic bark from the dog run made her smile. She looked at the enthusiastic Dalmatian, he was leaping up and down, his big paws clinging to the wire fence, his long whip like tail wagging so fast it was a white blur.

"Good morning, Domino," Sabrina greeted warmly as she opened the dog run, letting the excited dog out. He yelped happily and ran around her a couple times before sitting down to let her scratch his silky ears.

"Ready for our walk?"

The dog's tail wagged more enthusiastically. Sabrina grinned as she walked over to the gate that led into the woods, allowing the dog to run out in front of her. She knew Domino loved it here. He loved being able to run around and stretch his legs. It was so much better than the crate he'd been stuffed into, or the chain he'd been tied on for most of his young life.

"Sparky" had been three when the city's animal welfare had found him, skin and bones, no food or water. The collar too tight on his neck had begun to cut into the skin and the chain that his owner had had him on had wrapped around his back leg, cutting into the tendon.

Sabrina's heart had gone out to the Dalmatian when she'd seen him at the shelter. He was such a beautiful dog, and thanks to all the work the people at the shelter had put into him he was still people friendly. He had been so excited to go outside on a leash that first day, and Sabrina knew that she couldn't leave him behind. It was that day that Sparky disappeared and Domino was born. It was hard to tell he had once been in such horrible conditions, with the exception of a small scar on his back left leg and a bump under his collar he showed no outward signs of it now. He was lean, but a healthy weight. His enthusiasm for being outdoors and being able to run free in the woods and playfully chase the squirrels always made Sabrina smile.

He had never caught one, though Sabrina was sure he wouldn't hurt one if he did. She knew he liked watching them scramble up the trunk as fast as their little paws could carry them. He would stand at the bottom of the tree barking enthusiastically and wagging his tail before he'd turn and race back to Sabrina proudly, expecting to be scratched behind the ears.

Now that it was summer Sabrina often times let him sleep outside in his dog run, though she still occasionally let him into the house when she felt like having company. School was out for the summer, and without it her human contact was limited. She'd bought the small cottage in the country for the quiet and isolation. She loved her job as a fourth grade teacher. The kids were old enough then to sit quietly and listen when she instructed them on how to do things but hadn't reached the harder teenage years yet.

This last year had been a bit harder. Parents seemed less interested in their children these days. Some didn't even bother to show up to Parent-Teacher Conferences. When Sabrina had attempted to contact them they always had several excuses on why their children were doing so poorly in school.

Sabrina was a realist when it came to the children she taught. She believed all children had room to grow no matter what they were studying. She didn't believe that every child was a born genius. Though some kids did learn faster than others and seemed to excel at most things they tried, others had a harder time grasping the basic concepts of a new lesson she was trying to teach. It was usually these students who needed the most help from their parents at home, and yet they never seemed to get it.

It was a challenge that Sabrina was quickly getting used to. It was something she'd learned to accept as a teacher. Though it didn't make it any easier watching as these children struggled. She helped the best she could, but in the end there was only so much she could do if the parents weren't willing to help at home.

She had been looking forward to the summer break. She knew her blueberries were ripe and planned on picking some of them later that afternoon to make a pie. There was nothing better than the smell of a fresh pie cooling on the windowsill, and her lilac trees were in full bloom, perfuming the summer air with their sweet scent.

Domino barked, suddenly excited and chased something small and furry up a tree, he jumped up at it, digging his claws into the tree's bark to give him leverage before he stood at the bottom of the tree, barking and wagging his tail.

Sabrina laughed softly as she followed Domino to their usual spot, a patch of wildflowers where she visited frequently to pick fresh flowers to put on her table. She loved the vibrant colors and how it added a bit of sunshine to her kitchen.

Domino sniffed the ground eagerly as he trotted on ahead of her, looking for more squirrels, or perhaps a rabbit to chase.

He paused catching the scent of something and took off barking excitedly. Sabrina let him go, she knew he'd come right back. He always did.

* * *

The bark caught him by surprise. Donatello's eyes widened as he immediately took to the tree he was standing under just as a large spotted dog burst out of the bushes. Quickly he made his way to a higher branch, pausing there, mostly hidden by the leaves, though still able to see below.

_Nothing like putting training into practice_.

He sat there quietly. The dog looked well cared for, and it was wearing a collar, which told him that his owner wouldn't be far behind.

He waited, breathing shallowly, focusing on calming his racing heart as the dog circled the tree, sniffing eagerly. The dog stood on its back legs, sniffing at the tree trunk and then looked eagerly up into the branches, as if it knew he was hiding up here. Donatello instinctively moved to hide in some of the deeper shadows the tree provided, but the dog continued to bark up at him, its tail wagging playfully.

"What did you find, boy?"

Donatello's eyes snapped up to where the voice was coming from, seeing what he presumed to be the dog's owner walking down the path towards him, and Donatello's current hiding place. She was slender, wearing a light blue t-shirt and faded blue jeans. Her dark brown hair fell just past her shoulders, and was tucked casually behind her ears. As she passed through a patch of sunlight he noticed a few blonde highlights, that seemed to accent it nicely.

Donatello shifted as she got closer, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. He was too exposed here. He felt uneasy.

The woman paused, crouching next to the excited dog, scratching him behind a spotted ear as she peered up into the tree. Donatello held his breath, not daring to move. He blinked as she looked up into the branches, noticing the way her shirt seemed to set off her eyes, making them stand out in her heart shaped face. Her skin was the color of cream, and looked so soft he found it hard not to stare. He wondered briefly if it was as smooth as it looked before he shook himself mentally.

The woman's eyes scanned the tree branches for several long minutes while the dog sat next to her feet whining softly. As her eyes roamed to his hiding place they paused. Staring.

Donatello mentally cursed himself. The cover wasn't the best here, and she was looking straight at him.

She frowned a little then seemed to give herself a mental shake. "Come on, boy. Let's go."

The dog whined a little, still looking up into the tree where Donatello had disappeared.

Donatello breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her pull a leash from her pocket and attach it to the dog's collar. With a firm, but gentle tug, the dog reluctantly tore his eyes away from Donatello's hiding place and followed the girl away.

Donatello relaxed, sitting down on the branch as he watched her go. That had been close. Too close. For a minute he'd been sure that she'd spotted him. But if she had he was sure that she would have screamed and ran off in the other direction. Still, if Leo found out…

He wouldn't tell him. That's all. Quietly he slipped off looking for a better hiding place, knowing Leonardo would come looking for him soon.

* * *

Sabrina didn't take Domino's leash off until they had returned to the house. Entering the kitchen she unclipped the leash and hung it up on the key hook she'd reserved for it. She felt the adrenaline slowly leaving her system now that she was safely back at her own house, with the back door securely locked.

Domino trotted across the kitchen to his empty bowl, sniffed and then looked at her hopefully.

Sabrina retrieved a can of dog food from the cupboard and pulled off the lid.

She had seen something in that tree. She wasn't sure what it was she'd seen, but she knew that patch of woods so well know that every part of it had become ingrained in her memory. And whatever had been in that tree hadn't been a squirrel or a raccoon. It wasn't even a cat. It had been bigger. Even though it had tried to hide from her, she had seen the darkness of its shape.

The way it was sitting made her think it had been a man at first, and she had been tempted to call out and apologize, explain that Domino was harmless. But, when she'd really taken in the shape she'd realized that it was too oddly shaped to be human and that had sent fear spiking down her back in waves.

The hair on the back of her neck had prickled and despite the warm summer air she'd suddenly felt cold. Whatever was up in that tree wasn't normal, and she'd had the sudden urge to turn and run. But she'd forced herself to walk. If it was a predator up there, running would only trigger its predatory instincts to chase.

She'd glanced over her shoulder once as she and Domino had made their way back to the house and had seen an odd flash of green and a dark shadow as it passed over the ground.

Sabrina looked around her small kitchen. What if that thing came here? What if it was dangerous? Suddenly she felt very isolated. Her country cottage suddenly felt like a dangerous place to be. She hurried over to the windows and closed all of them, locking them tightly.

Domino whined looking at the can of dog food that was sitting on the counter.

"Oh, sorry boy," Sabrina grabbed the can and emptied it into his bowl. She sat down at the kitchen table, watching as the dog happily ate his breakfast.

Should she call the police? What would she tell them? She wasn't sure exactly what it was she'd seen, and she had no proof of anything actually being there. They wouldn't believe her with no proof.

She wished briefly that Jensen was here. But that was an impossibility. Her brother had joined up with the air force and had left the state. He would write her letters when he could, but it wasn't the same thing as having him here. Sabrina took a deep breath and pushed back the tears she could feel building behind her eyes. His letters had been hard to read at first, seeing how much he was struggling, but he seemed to have settled in now. He had sounded happier in his last few letters at least.

Sabrina glanced at the picture she'd hung up on the wall. Nearly eight years her senior, the difference between them was striking. His sandy colored hair had darkened over time, like hers had when she'd gotten older. Both blonde when they were young by the time they had reached eight their mother's brown hair had taken over their father's blonde in them both. Though Jensen's hair hadn't darkened as much as Sabrina's had. Slender, but well-built, with soft green eyes and a smile that could light up any room Jensen had had no trouble in school. Always friends with everyone, and he'd had more girlfriends then Sabrina could count. He'd been a player, and had enjoyed the thrill of the chase more than the actual catch most of the time. Until he'd met Katie.

Jensen had adored Katie and would have done anything for her. They'd talked about settling down and marriage. They had met in college while Sabrina had still been in high school. But she had really liked Katie. Katie had been fun, with her bubbly personality and love for adventure she had been Jensen's match in every possible way.

Sabrina tore her eyes away from her brother's picture. Jensen hadn't been the same after Katie's accident. It was as if he'd built a brick wall around his heart, he'd pushed everyone out, including Sabrina. Until he'd gone into the Air Force anyway.

Sabrina ran her fingers through her dark hair. She knew what Jensen would do if he was here. He'd set up a trap, try to capture the creature to get the proof he needed. Jensen wasn't afraid to take anything on. She had never seen him afraid to face anything. He took every new challenge as an obstacle to be overcome and would face it head on.

But Sabrina had never had his courage. She'd never been brave like he was. The thing that was out in those woods honestly frightened her. What would she do if it came here? Would it follow her?

She looked at Domino. She felt safer with him in the house. He was big and could be intimidating. Besides the fact that his senses were sharper than hers. If he sensed something out there, he'd let her know.

Sabrina felt her clenched stomach relax. As long as she had Domino close by she knew she'd be ok.

The dog licked the bowl clean and looked at Sabrina, tail wagging hopefully.

"You've had enough for now," Sabrina said smiling at the dog. "We have some blueberries that need to be picked. Come on boy… " She stood up and patted her leg. The dog eagerly hurried over to her and followed her out the back door.


	13. Chapter 13

**Happy Sunday everyone. You know what that means. Update time. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their Sunday. As always thank you for those who take the time to review it is always appreciated. I'll be back with the next update Wednesday. **

* * *

**Chapter 13**

The smell of warm coffee greeted the turtles as they filed in the back door a little over an hour later. The familiar scent made Donatello perk up a little, and automatically he headed for the coffee machine to pour himself a hot cup of his favorite beverage.

A couple of dishes drying on the dish rack told him that Elizabeth and Akemi had already come and gone this morning, and probably not too long ago if the few beads of water dripping from the larger of the two plates was anything to go by. Two tea cups were also drying, which told him that Splinter had already come down for his morning tea and had probably retreated upstairs to meditate.

Leonardo filled the tea kettle with water and put it on the stove to heat. His muscles were still tight and Donatello could see something twitch along his jawline. He sighed.

"Leo, I promise nothing happened."

Leonardo's dark brown eyes snapped to his younger brother's face. "You're sure she didn't see you, Don?"

Donatello shook his head. Though the shadows of the tree hadn't been the best concealment he was sure that the girl hadn't gotten a good look at him.

"We will need to stick closer to the farmhouse for training," Leonardo said dryly. "We don't need another neighbor spotting one of us and calling in the Feds."

Donatello carefully avoided his brother's gaze as he sipped at his coffee.

"You guys hungry?" Michelangelo asked as he opened the fridge and pulled out the carton of eggs.

"I could eat," Raphael said gruffly as he looked in the fridge, he snorted at something, then reached in and pulled out the orange juice, not bothering to get a cup as he drank it right out of the carton.

"Iew, right out of the carton?" Melinda made a face as she joined the brothers in the kitchen.

Raphael smirked as he pulled the carton away, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "Stops da chuckle head from drinkin' all o' it," he explained.

"Nice," Melinda said rolling her eyes as she made her way across the kitchen to Michelangelo. He smirked as he pulled her close. She leaned into him for a second before suddenly pulling away.

"Mike, you're all wet."

"Oh… yeah sorry about that. Raph got kind of dirty when he slipped in a big mud puddle so I turned the hose on him. "

"And let me guess – he retaliated?" Melinda asked eyebrows raised.

"Don't believe 'im, 'e jus' likes ta see ya squirm," Raphael grinned.

"Well go take a shower," Melinda complained good naturedly as she pulled away from Michelangelo's grip.

"As long as you're going to make breakfast for me while I'm in there… or better yet you could join me." He wiggled his eye ridges teasingly.

Melinda blushed and swatted him playfully on the arm.

"That a no?" Michelangelo fixed her with his best puppy eyes.

Melinda shook her head. "That won't work on me."

Michelangelo widened his eyes and his face twisted, pulling into a pathetic expression as he pleaded with her.

"Kappa," Melinda said, squirming just a little as his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, pulling her close to him.

She leaned into him, her hands resting on the plates of his plastron, gently running over the small imperfections there.

Raphael snorted. "Dis mean we ain't gettin' breakfast?"

Michelangelo grinned at his brother. "Leo could make it."

"Yeah sure how are we supposed ta explain ta Case an' April dat da farmhouse burned down."

Leonardo scowled, obviously not enjoying being the brunt of their joke.

Michelangelo snickered. "Just teasing, Leo."

Leonardo shook his head. "I haven't blown anything up for a while."

"Four months," Donatello piped in. "I think it was the toaster that time."

"Hey, I didn't know that Akemi had stuffed mini legos in it!" Leonardo protested.

Michelangelo chuckled at the memory. Leonardo had been so surprised – and Donatello had been so angry. But Michelangelo had seen the little culprit skipping along grinning happily to herself, not at all bothered by the fact that she'd just ruined the toaster.

"You know, Mike, if you didn't leave your stuff lying around all the time that wouldn't have happened," Donatello pointed out. It had taken him three days to get the toaster working again, and by then Akemi had been howling for grilled cheese sandwiches. Well, more like her version of them anyway. She didn't like Elizabeth browning them in the pan. She liked her bread toasted in the toaster and then have the cheese put on before the sandwich was put together and warmed until the cheese was melted in the microwave. Listening to a toddler screaming for two days because the toaster was broken had worn on everyone's nerves.

"I forgot to clean those up. I didn't know she'd try putting them in the toaster," Michelangelo said with an apologetic grin.

Melinda shifted looking up at his face. "Just like the time you didn't think she'd take one of your action figures and stick it in the oven because she had to kill the witch?"

"Oh… " Michelangelo laughed. "I'd forgotten about that one. Good thing it wasn't one of my collectors items, those are hard to come by these days."

Raphael snorted again and muttered what sounded like "dollies" under his breath.

Michelangelo glared at him. "Hey, they're highly collectible hard to acquire state of the art action figures! Not dolls!"

"Whatevah," Raphael stretched. "Well, if ya ain't gonna 'it da showers I am." He rolled his shoulders a little, his impressive muscles rippling under the skin as he headed out of the kitchen.

"Great," Donatello muttered. "There goes all the hot water." He sat down at the kitchen table and opened his laptop. He was happy to find that he was able to reach a wireless network this morning. After a few short clicks he was able to bypass the security password and pulled up his e-mail.

He'd started his tech job not long after Raphael and Elizabeth's wedding. It didn't feel right having Elizabeth pay for everything for the family, so he had searched for technical jobs he could do from home, the tech job had sounded promising. Sure the pay wasn't the best, but it was a steady income.

Of course that meant he often had to answer questions he found ridiculous. He was amazed at how dim some people actually were. Still, he supposed without them he wouldn't have a job at all.

Donatello sighed as he saw the two dozen or so new e-mails that were waiting for him. He opened the first one and began to read through it. From the description this lady was giving him with the pop up ads, and how slow her system seemed to be running she probably had several viruses clogging it up. Thanks to the companies system he could actually clean her computer without having to actually have it. All he would have to do was access it through the network. An easy fix, he'd upload some virus protection and spyware onto her system afterwards, if she agreed to it of course, but he knew a few programs that would help prevent this from happening in the future.

He moved onto the next. Whoever this was had obviously been frustrated. A lot of the words were in caps, and each sentence had several exclamation points after it. The customer had spilled coffee onto his keyboard and now his laptop wouldn't work. He was using his phone to contact the company. Donatello snorted as he sipped at his own coffee. Of course the computer wouldn't work. The man had fried it. Even tech support had its limits.

Knowing he was probably going to get another angry e-mail from this customer Donatello calmly tried to explain why the laptop wasn't working, and told him that he should look into the warranty and see if it was still covered, if not he would have to look into buying a new computer. Donatello hit the sent button and moved onto the next.

"You going to work on that all day, Donny?" Michelangelo complained as he pulled out a couple pans with a noisy clatter.

"No, I'm going to try and get that security camera fixed today," Donatello didn't look up from his screen, frowning as he read this man's annoyed e-mail. His brand new computer wasn't working. He'd unpacked it from the box and tried to turn it on but the lights weren't even coming on.

Donatello e-mailed back telling him to check that his computer was plugged in firmly and to check the breakers and make sure something hadn't been tripped. It was amazing to him how often that actually "fixed" the problem.

"Come on, Don. It's nice outside," Michelangelo coaxed.

"I have work to do, Mike." Donatello said scowling at his brother over the top of his laptop.

"But I promised to go find butterflies with Akemi today," Michelangelo said grinning.

"Michelangelo," Leonardo frowned as he sat down at the table across from Donatello. "Do not go too far from the farmhouse! There might be hikers out there, Don was lucky he didn't get spotted this morning."

Donatello flinched and dropped his eyes back to his laptop.

Melinda's eyebrows rose in surprise. "What? You were almost spotted?"

"She didn't see anything, Melinda," Donatello tried to reassure her, his brown eyes snapping up to hers briefly.

"How can you be sure, Don?" Melinda frowned, worried.

"Trust me."

She scowled, as did Leonardo.

Michelangelo snickered. "Don ran away from her dog. Didn't you, Donny?" He cracked a couple eggs and dropped them into the frying pan.

"I did not run!" Donatello glared at his brother's shell.

"Sure you didn't. You were afraid of the dog."

"I was not!"

"That's why you climbed up that tree like a cornered cat and stayed there," Michelangelo crowed.

"I wasn't going to take off running in case its owner was around, Mike. I would've had a better chance at being spotted if I had!" Donatello pointed out.

"Sure, Don, whatever," Michelangelo teased.

Donatello scowled annoyed and turned his attention back to his e-mails. "I wasn't interested in being bit was all."

"How do you know he would've liked the taste of mutant turtle?" Michelangelo joked.

Donatello chose not to answer that. Sometimes it was just best to ignore Michelangelo. Eventually he would get the point and stop teasing.

"Hey, Melinda, can you grab the bacon from the fridge for me?" Michelangelo asked after a few minutes as he stirred the eggs.

Melinda nodded and grabbed the bacon and then started making some toast. She could handle that much. Most of the time anyway.

Every now and then a soft chuckle would make its way up Michelangelo's chest. He obviously found the whole thing funny.

Donatello sighed and closed his laptop, unplugging it and tucked it under his arm as he grabbed his coffee. He needed to find a more quiet place if he was going to get any work done.

* * *

Raphael walked on cat's feet, creeping up on his wife as she rocked gently back and forth in the hammock. A few strands of her hair were blowing around in the soft summer breeze. Her eyes were closed, relaxed. She looked like she was sleeping.

"Don't even think about it," Elizabeth said as he got closer, not bothering to open her eyes.

Raphael froze. "I wasn't gonna do nuttin'."

"I know you better than that," Elizabeth said as she opened one eye to look at him, lifting a hand to shield her face from the sun so she could see him properly. "How'd it go this morning?"

"'Bout da same as usual," Raphael said with a casual shrug. His arms slid under her lifting her.

"HEY!" She protested, startled. Raphael smirked as he lay down on the hammock, with her cradled to his plastron. She sighed and rested her cheek against it, running a finger across a couple scars.

"Let me guess, Leo nagged a lot, Mikey goofed around, Don tried to cheat using one of his inventions, and you were awesome."

"Sounds 'bout right ta me.," Raphael agreed smugly.

Elizabeth laughed, shifting so she was looking up at his face. He smirked at her, one arm was tucked under his head, his amber eyes were alight with humor.

"You are so bad," Elizabeth teased.

"Ya like me dat way," he pointed out.

"True, you wouldn't be you otherwise," Elizabeth agreed.

Raphael shifted under her getting more comfortable. "So how long ya been out 'ere?"

"Oh… an hour or so I guess. Akemi is taking a nap. Melinda said she'd listen for her."

"Just wanted ta catch some sun?"

"No… well, I did I guess, but I put sunscreen on. I can't tan I just end up burned… " Elizabeth sighed. "I was just thinking."

"T'ought dat was Don's job… "

Elizabeth smacked his arm making him grin.

"Baka," she grumbled but Raphael caught the undertone of affection there. He chuckled.

"Ok so what were ya t'inkin' bout?" He asked as he closed his eyes, running his fingers up and down her back.

"We should tell your family don't you think? About the baby I mean? It would get Don off my back anyway."

"Or he'll turn inta Leo Jr. and start naggin' ya worse den Fearless nags da rest o' us."

"Oh is that who he is channeling when he goes into Doctor Don mode. And here I thought that was just part of his charm," Elizabeth smirked.

Raphael chuckled. "It is – but we already got Fearless ta nag. We don't need two o' dem."

"I still think they should know, Raph. Don't you?"

"Yeah, dey should know."

"Do you think they'll be happy for us?"

"Course dey will. Dey're my brothers."

"Even Leo?"

Raphael opened one eye to look at her. She was biting her lip and running her finger in circles around one scar on his bicep. He shivered a little.

"Course 'e will," Raphael reassured. He reached up, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You sure?"

Raphael opened his other eye and looked at his wife. "O' course 'e will, 'Lizabeth. What's da matter? Why ya so worried?"

"He's just been so tense lately. He's always on edge."

"Ya afraid dat he'll break?" Raphael asked smirking.

"It's not funny, Raph." Elizabeth frowned.

He laughed anyway. "'Lizabeth, Leo always 'as a stick up 'is shell."

"It's not that, Raph, and you know it. He's got a lot to deal with right now."

Raphael shook his head. "'Lizabeth, Leo is still my brother. Ya know 'e loves ya, yer 'is sistah now, 'e is gonna be 'appy fer us, I promise."

Elizabeth relaxed. Of course he would be. Leonardo was her Ani. Of course he would be happy for them. How could he be anything else? He loved them both, and he adored Akemi. There wasn't a reason he wouldn't be happy for them.

She shifted a little, touching the gauze bandage that was covering his stitches. He tensed a little under her touch and she heard his breathing change. She looked up at him. "Raph, you really do need to be more careful."

"Yeah, dem squirrels are killers."

"I'm being serious."

"Me too, didn't ya see dat movie Charlie and da Chocolate Factory? Da squirrels are creepy." Raphael said smirking.

Elizabeth laughed, she couldn't help it.

"You think that the squirrels out here are going to throw you into a giant hole too?"

"Nah, but dey might t'row Mikey in dere, his head 'as always been hollow."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but smiled. She knew that Raphael cared deeply for Michelangelo, despite his teasing. If Michelangelo ever got into trouble Raphael was usually the first one at his brother's side.

"Ya don't gotta worry, 'Lizabeth, I ain't goin' anywhere," Raphael promised as he closed his eyes once again.

"Raph, you could've been really hurt the other night," Elizabeth frowned at him. "Then what would I have done?"

Raphael cracked open an eye to look at his wife, startled to see her eyes brimming with tears. He sat up so quickly it startled her and pulled her to him in a hug, pressing his beak into her soft hair, breathing in her familiar scent.

"I'm sorry I scared ya," he whispered in her ear.

Elizabeth pressed into him allowing him to comfort her. She knew that was all she was going to get from Raphael. He wasn't going to change, and she wouldn't ask him to. But she knew that no matter what he would always do his best to come home to her, and that was all she could ask.


	14. Chapter 14

**Where does the week go? Seems like time is always flying by so fast. Well its Wednesday. Know what that means. Update time. Hope everyone has a good week. Thank you to those who take the time to review it is always appreciated. I'll be back Sunday.**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"Donny, you want to come with me and Akemi?" Michelangelo poked his head into the room that Donatello was staying in. He was at the desk in the corner, working on his laptop, his fourth cup of coffee was gone.

"I'm working, Mike," Don muttered grumpily. He had received a few angry replies back from his earlier e-mails, one of them was asking why Donatello couldn't simply just call him and walk him through fixing some of the problems on his computer.

"Come on, Don. An hour won't kill you will it? You could use the break anyway," Michelangelo coaxed. "We've got butterfly nets and everything. Don't you want to see what kind of butterflies are out here?"

Donatello frowned and turned his chair to glare at his brother, but stopped. Akemi was with him and she was looking at him eagerly, holding two butterfly nets. One she clutched to her chest, the other she was holding out for him. She gave him her best smile, showing off her pearly white teeth.

Donatello's eyes snapped up to Michelangelo who was grinning. Obviously he knew that Donatello wouldn't be able to say no to Akemi.

"Please?" Akemi pleaded.

Donatello sighed. "Only for an hour, I've got a lot of work to do."

He stood up and crossed the room taking the offered net from Akemi.

Michelangelo grinned and swung Akemi up into his arms. She squealed, delighted and wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It'll be fun, Donny," Michelangelo promised as the brothers headed out of the house. "You can't just work the whole time we're here."

"And Leo told you that you weren't going off alone," Donatello said giving Michelangelo a knowing look.

Michelangelo's grin turned sheepish. "Well, something like that. He doesn't want us going too far from the house in any case, but he thought it would be smarter if we had someone else out there with us just in case. He said he was busy, think he went to meditate again," Michelangelo snorted, obviously thinking that didn't qualify as being busy, "and Raph is with Elizabeth. Melinda went to take a nap."

"Couldn't you just have played in the back yard with her, Mike?" Donatello asked as they headed for the trees.

"We're going to when we get back, I brought Akemi's bubble machine from home. "

"Bubbles?" Akemi asked, lifting her head from Michelangelo's shoulder.

"Yep, bubbles. We're going to play bubbles after we catch us some butterflies," Michelangelo promised.

Akemi squirmed and Michelangelo put her down. She skipped off down the trail ahead of them, her curls bouncing against her back.

Michelangelo picked up the pace, making sure that the toddler was always within view. Donatello hurried to keep up with him.

"Gotcha!" Akemi beamed proudly as she netted a twig. "Unky Mikey! I caught a bug!"

"Nice going, squirt. But we are supposed to be out catching butterflies not twigs," Michelangelo grinned.

"Oh," Akemi pulled the net off the twig and skipped further down the path.

"You have to admit, Don. It's nice coming up here once in a while, getting a little break isn't it?" Michelangelo asked, nudging his brother gently.

Watching Akemi skip happily ahead of them, obviously loving being outdoors where she was free to run and play and just be a kid. He felt a smile spreading across his mouth. "Yeah, Mikey, it's nice."

"A BUG!" Akemi shrieked as she netted something else.

Michelangelo chuckled and hurried ahead to catch up with her. "Whoa, that looks like a praying mantis, dudette," Michelangelo said grinning.

"Oooh… " Akemi was fascinated.

Donatello watched as Michelangelo gently untangled the net from the small green creature and gently coaxed it onto his finger. It sat there quite still. He crouched down So Akemi could get a good look at it.

"Let's give it to daddy," Akemi suggested.

An evil smirk crossed Michelangelo's face but Don cleared his throat.

"How about we put it back on the branch and go find butterflies instead?"

"Ok," Akemi agreed easily.

Donatello gave Michelangelo a meaningful look, Raphael had enough on his plate with Elizabeth being sick and a very active three year old. He didn't need Michelangelo teasing him with bugs.

Michelangelo gently picked up the praying mantis and put it back on a branch next to some leaves. In a few minutes it had disappeared.

"Gotcha!" Akemi's net came down over Donatello's head. He looked at her surprised. She was grinning, standing on a nearby stump.

Michelangelo turned and his eyes widened. His mouth trembled. Donatello knew what was coming next. He was sure Michelangelo's guffaw could be heard for two miles.

* * *

Michelangelo snickered again as they left the woods a little over an hour later. Donatello shot him a glare.

"It wasn't that funny, Mike."

"You should've seen the look on your face when she netted you," Michelangelo disagreed. "Wish I'd had my camera."

Donatello shook his head and did his best to just tune Michelangelo's barely stifled laughter out.

"You are going to let that go aren't you?" He asked gesturing to the butterfly net that Michelangelo had closed with one hand to prevent the frantically fluttering butterfly inside it from escaping.

"Of course, Don," Michelangelo promised. "Akemi just wanted to show it to Leo, Raph and Elizabeth. She did catch it all by herself."

"Guess some of those stealth moves Raph has been teaching her paid off," Donatello said as he looked at the butterfly again. The butterfly had never seen it coming, and Akemi had been so proud of herself.

"What kind of butterfly did you say this was again?" Michelangelo asked as he brought the net up so he could get a look at the butterfly as it paused to rest, gently fanning its wings up and down as it clung to the net.

"Karner Blue I think," Donatello said as he too peered at the butterfly. "It has the same markings I've seen in some pictures."

"He sleep in my room?" Akemi asked hopefully.

"No, remember Akemi we weren't going to keep the butterflies. He wants to be outside where he can fly and land on flowers like he was when you caught him."

Akemi looked ready to cry. "I wanna keep George."

"George?" Donatello asked surprised.

"Mine. I caught George. He wants to be my friend."

"I think someone is getting tired," Donatello said gently.

Michelangelo nodded agreeing, Akemi was starting to act grumpy.

Luckily they were close to the house and Michelangelo spotted Raphael and Leonardo talking on the porch. Leonardo was frowning at whatever it was Raphael was saying and looked worried.

"Hey guys, we're back!" Michelangelo grinned as Akemi waved enthusiastically.

Leonardo and Raphael turned as one. Leonardo's face relaxed. "How did the butterfly hunting go?"

"Akemi had a blast. She loved using the butterfly net." Michelangelo and Donatello climbed up the front steps and Akemi stretched away from Michelangelo reaching for Raphael.

He took her, shifting her in his arms so she could rest her head comfortably against his shoulder.

"Ya catch anyt'ing, chuckle head?" He asked as he gently patted Akemi's back.

"Well, I didn't. Those little suckers move fast. But Akemi did. She wanted to show it to you."

Michelangelo held up the butterfly net to show off Akemi's trophy. The butterfly had renewed its frantic fluttering around inside the net searching for a way out.

Raphael looked at it, making a face. Bugs. He hated bugs.

"We keep George, daddy?" Akemi asked hopefully.

"George?" Raphael frowned. "I don't t'ink so, Akemi. I t'ink George likes ta be outside."

Leonardo watched the butterfly curiously for a minute. "How did she catch it?"

Michelangelo chuckled. "Well she watched it fly around for about twenty minutes, then when it landed on a flower she crept towards it and pounced on it with her net. She brought the net down so fast that George flew right into it. "

"How did she keep it in there? I'm mean it could've just flown out the way it went in"

Michelangelo laughed again. "As soon as she knew it was in there she put the net on the ground and sat on the handle. I came over and helped her with George because she wanted to show you guys what she caught."

Raphael smirked. "Dat's my girl. "

"You gonna play bubbles with us, daddy?" Akemi asked hopefully.

"Bubbles? Oh did Mike bring yer bubble machine from home?" Raph asked as Akemi reached for his mask. Automatically he leaned back and caught her hand to stop her from grabbing it. She pouted, and he smirked. "I guess I could fer a little bit if ya want, Akemi."

"You guys gonna come join us?" Michelangelo asked with a smirk.

"Think I'll pass, Mike," Leonardo said dryly.

"I really should get back to work, Mike. Customers are waiting."

"More bubbles for us," Michelangelo said with a shrug. "I'll go get it ready."

"We'll be right der," Raphael said. He frowned when Michelangelo handed him the butterfly net.

"Go show Elizabeth George and by then I'll have everything ready," Michelangelo said with a smirk.

Raphael suppressed a shudder, feeling the butterfly's wings beating against the side of the net.

Michelangelo flipped off the porch and hurried away to the back.

"George pretty," Akemi said proudly as Raphael headed into the house.

"Yeah he's ok, fer a bug I guess," Raphael said as he tried to keep any distaste out of his tone. If only for Akemi's sake, she was obviously pleased with her catch.

Elizabeth was in the kitchen talking with Melinda when Raphael carried Akemi inside, both women were enjoying a cup of tea.

"MOMMY! Look I caught George!" Akemi announced.

"George?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

Akemi squirmed and Raphael set her down, she ran for Elizabeth, practically jumping right onto her lap, making Elizabeth grunt.

"What's a George?" Elizabeth asked as she gently pushed her daughter's hair back from her face and ran her fingers through the soft curls.

"That's a George!" Akemi pointed at the butterfly net Raphael was holding.

"Oh, so you and Michelangelo did go butterfly hunting huh?"

"Yeah, da chucklehead couldn't catch a bug but da squirt did." Raphael smirked.

"Course she did – she's tricky," Elizabeth laughed softly.

Akemi wriggled off Elizabeth's lap and hurried to Raphael.

"I wanna show George to mommy!" She insisted as she reached for the net.

"Ok, just be careful," Raphael said frowning a little.

Akemi grabbed the net where he was holding it and gently carried it over to show Melinda and Elizabeth.

"Oh, it's really pretty," Melinda said smiling. Though she wasn't a fan of most bugs who could deny the beauty of a butterfly?

"He is beautiful, sweetheart," Elizabeth said as she smiled at the butterfly.

"We keep George?" Akemi asked hopefully.

"Akemi," Raphael frowned. "I've already told ya – ya ain't keepin' George. Yer gonna 'ave ta let 'im go. "

Akemi's eyes turned pleading as she looked from him to Elizabeth once more.

"Raphael is right, sweetie. George will be much happier if he's free. You want George to be happy don't you?"

Akemi sniffled but nodded pitifully.

"Then be a good girl and let George go," Elizabeth said firmly.

Akemi sat on the floor, still holding tightly to the net.

"Akemi, please do as you are told."

Raphael saw what she was going to do a second too late. He darted forward but Akemi had already let go of the net, opening it for the butterfly.

"Fly free, George!" Akemi said as the butterfly, quickly realizing that it was no longer trapped took to the air. It began to fly around the kitchen ceiling searching frantically for a way out.

"Akemi, that was naughty," Elizabeth frowned at her daughter.

"I just set George free, Mommy." Akemi insisted. She was beaming proudly. She began to skip around the table. "Fly George be free! Fly George be free!"

"Great, now we gotta catch dat t'ing again," Raphael grumbled as he picked up the butterfly net from where Akemi had left it. He waved it at the butterfly, but the butterfly had gotten wise as to what that was and darted to avoid it.

Raphael scowled and tried to catch it again, he ended up brushing the light, sending bits of dust floating down to the table.

"Oh, Raph, be careful." Elizabeth covered her cup as she stood up to avoid his wild swings.

The butterfly's wings were beating as fast as it could possibly make them as it flew out of the kitchen and into the next room.

"Get back 'ere ya overgrown worm wit' wings!" Raphael growled as he went after it.

Melinda covered her mouth to hide her laughter. Elizabeth sighed and put down her cup of tea then grabbed her daughter as Akemi made another lap around the table. "You know better than that, young lady. I think you need a time out."

"No time out!"

"Yes." Elizabeth insisted as she carried her out of the room.

Melinda laughed again as she stood up and dumped the last of her tea down the drain. She knew she hadn't been fast enough in covering her tea when Raphael had hit the light and bits of dust had landed in it. There wasn't that much left anyway.

Glancing out the window she saw Michelangelo setting up the bubble machine for Akemi and smiled as she rinsed out her cup, setting it aside. She'd wash it later. With Raphael cursing from the other room as he tried to catch George and with Akemi now screaming from down the hall it suddenly seemed like a great time to go outside and get some air.

* * *

Two soft hands wrapped around his face, covering his eyes. "Guess who?"

Michelangelo grinned. He'd heard her coming of course. But it was always fun to play along with Melinda when she thought she was being sneaky.

"Hmm…. Let me think," Michelangelo said seriously as he straightened. "Katie? Rosie? Ashely? Katilyn?"

"HEY!" Melinda dropped her hands from his face.

He laughed as he turned and pulled her to him in a hug, she pushed against him, scowling a little.

"Aww… come on, Melinda. I knew it was you. You always smell so good," He grinned as he held her tighter to him, refusing to let her go. "Besides, you know you're the only girl for me."

"I better be," she said still scowling.

He chuckled and drew her mouth to his in a tender kiss. "Of course you are. "

She sighed. "How come I can't stay angry with you?"

"It must be my awesome charm. Or it's the fact that you just can't help but admire my good looks." He wiggled his eye ridges playfully, grinning cheekily.

"Or because I know you will pester me until I forgive you," Melinda said with a straight face.

Michelangelo's grin spread. "So you come outside to play bubbles with Akemi, Raph and I?"

"Actually, I think you might be playing bubbles by yourself. Your you'll have to wait until later. Elizabeth put Akemi in time out after she let George out of his net inside the house. Raph is in there trying to catch him."

Michelangelo laughed. "Raph is in there chasing a butterfly?"

"Or as he so delicately put it – an overgrown worm with wings," Melinda laughed with him.

"Raph hates bugs… I… I think he's scared of them… " Michelangelo chortled, barely able to get the words out.

"It's just a butterfly. It's not like it's a wasp or something," Melinda teased.

"Doesn't make a difference to him. As far as Raph is concerned the only good kind of bug is a dead bug."

"Well for the most part I would agree with him. Especially stuff like earwigs and cockroaches."

"Well there goes your birthday present," Michelangelo grinned.

"You better not. It'll be sleeping in your bed – or you'll find it sitting in your morning cereal," Melinda warned scowling.

Michelangelo laughed again, obviously he was having a great time teasing her.

"Not funny," she said frowning as she smacked his arm.

He chuckled anyway as he picked up the bubble machine. "Guess bubbles will have to wait until later."

"They aren't going anywhere," Melinda said with a smile as she wrapped her arm around his shell. His free arm came around her waist holding her to his side. He put the bubble machine on the back steps and looked at her, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Well, looks like we have the afternoon to ourselves."

"Looks like it," Melinda agreed.

"What do you want to do?"

"Well… " She paused thinking. "You did promise me a game of canasta."

Michelangelo laughed. "You sure you want to take on Michelangelo? Battle Nexus Champion? Best fighter in the known Galaxy! In the whole… mmph… "

Melinda chuckled as she cut him off, hand over his mouth. "I think I'll take that risk. I'm pretty sure I can beat you now."

"I'd like to see you try."

"If I do… you have to do the dishes tonight. Without complaining." She winked.

"Ok, if I win – you have to help me."

She smirked pulling him in for a kiss. "You're on."


	15. Chapter 15

**First of all I'm so sorry this is late. My weekend was so busy. I didn't have time to try and post. I apologize. I will always try to update on time, but unfortunately RL needs to take priority once in a while. Thank you for your patience and thank you for those who take the time to review. I will update again Wednesday. **

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Leonardo grabbed the water bottle where he'd left it on the back porch and took a long pull before heading inside. He caught the smell of chili powder and could hear the slight pop of the meat as it sizzled in the frying pan. Elizabeth's back was to him as she worked over the stove, her hair pulled back in a long ponytail.

She turned to see who had come in and smiled at him. "Hey, Leo. How was your run?"

"It was nice. It's pretty out here. Quite a change from the city," Leonardo drained the last of the water from his water bottle and put it in the trash.

"I'm sure it is. It's a nice change though. This place reminds me of the house I grew up in. Its cozy here."

"Akemi seems to have taken to it."

"She's certainly had a good time with Mikey."

"Did Raph ever catch the butterfly?"

"Oh yes he did. Seems George was tired and Raphael caught him in the net and set him loose outside."

Leonardo smiled. "Still can't believe she let it loose in the house."

"You can't? I can, that's just Akemi being Akemi. I've heard that three is worse than twos anyway."

"She's a good kid, Elizabeth."

"Yes she is. Considering what I've heard other three year olds do I will gladly take a loose butterfly in the house over temper tantrums any time."

Leonardo smirked.

"Well dinner isn't quite ready yet. You should have time to grab a shower before it is. I know that Don fixed the hot water tank this afternoon. It went out this morning when I was filling up Akemi's bath – he said he would take a look at it. So there should be plenty of hot water."

"Thanks, Elizabeth," Leonardo smiled and left the kitchen to go grab a shower before dinner.

"Ya know I love it when ya cook," Raphael said with a smirk as he came in carrying Akemi who was clinging to his neck.

"Oh no you don't you can wait for dinner like everyone else. No freebies for you tonight," Elizabeth said shooting him a knowing look as she tapped a wooden spoon over a bowl warm tomato sauce.

Raphael chuckled. "I wasn't lookin' fer nuttin'."

"I know you better than that," Elizabeth said shaking her head.

"Well, actually, I t'ought I did see ya makin' an apple pie… "

"You keep your fingers out of that pie, it isn't done cooling yet and nobody wants a big Raphael thumb print on their slice of pie."

Raphael chuckled softly. "So whatcha makin'?"

"Spaghetti and meatballs with apple pie and homemade ice cream for dessert. "

"Should I go get everyone?"

"No, not yet. Leo just came in from his run and went to take a shower, he'll probably be a few minutes. But if you are looking for something to do you and Akemi could help set the table."

"I t'ink we can 'andle dat."

"Good, while you do that I'll start on the French bread." Elizabeth said with a slight nod as she pulled out a long loaf of bread and began to slice it up and butter it. She then wrapped it up in foil and stuck it in the oven to warm it up and melt the butter.

"Smells like dinner is done," Michelangelo said with a grin as he joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Just about," Elizabeth agreed. "Mikey, fill up those water glasses will you?"

"Sure, Elizabeth."

"And don't forget you lost the bet – so Mike said he'll do the dishes tonight, Elizabeth." Melinda smirked as she too joined them and helped Michelangelo fill up water glasses.

"Bet? What bet?" Elizabeth asked confused.

"Told him if I beat him in a game of canasta he would have to do the dishes without complaining."

"You beat him?"

"By thirty points," Michelangelo said with a slight pout.

"Hey a deal is a deal," Melinda was smug.

"I know – I never said I wouldn't."

Melinda smirked and kissed his cheek before carrying a couple of glasses over to the table.

Elizabeth shook her head, smirking. She was so happy that Michelangelo had Melinda. She had seen him go through a lot of good changes after he met her. But still he remained the same Mikey. Fun and loving, though serious when he needed to be.

Of course he could never pass up the opportunity to rile up Raph when he got the chance. Usually Elizabeth tried to keep a good sense of humor about it. It was only when his jokes woke Akemi up that she would get annoyed. Most of his pranks were harmless after all.

Elizabeth grabbed the pan of spaghetti and poured it into a strainer, shaking it well to rid it of all the excess water before she poured it into a bowl and slipped a spaghetti serving spoon into it.

"Something burning?" Donatello asked as he, Leonardo and Splinter entered the kitchen.

"Oh no," Elizabeth quickly pulled the French bread out of the oven and checked it, sighing in relief. "Perfect. Thanks, Donny."

"Sure. There coffee?"

"Not tonight. You shouldn't stay up all night working, Don."

"I wasn't going to."

"I know you better than that, Don."

"I just have a bunch of e-mails I still need to answer. I'm not taking the calls so I need to answer the e-mails as soon as I can."

"Customer computers will have to wait for one night."

"Yeah give der computers a rest from all da special websites dose people are addicted to."

"Raph, not in front of Akemi," Elizabeth said frowning.

"Sorry, 'Lizabeth."

She sighed as she gently maneuvered the meatballs and sauce into large pan so the meatballs wouldn't fall apart. Raphael grabbed the bowl of spaghetti and set it down in front of Splinter, who had already taken his seat at the head of the table.

Elizabeth grabbed a bib from one drawer and pulled the hair tie out of her own hair so she could tie back Akemi's. Though Akemi normally didn't need the bib anymore, spaghetti was one thing that still made a mess and Elizabeth wasn't in the mood to fight tomato stains out of her daughter's shirt.

"Don't!" Akemi tried to brush her mother's hands away as she gathered up her daughter's hair.

"Akemi, you are going to get spaghetti sauce into your hair if I don't pull it back."

"NO! DON'T!" Akemi swatted her mother's hand angrily.

"Akemi, enough." Elizabeth's patience was starting to wear thin.

"DON'T!" Akemi smacked her mother's hands once more. "Want daddy to do it!"

Elizabeth sighed. Akemi still seemed stuck in the stage where she liked being in control of certain situations. Elizabeth and Raphael both found it easier to just do it the way Akemi wanted.

Raphael shrugged and walked around the table, taking the hair tie from Elizabeth and pulled Akemi's hair back from her face, tucking her bangs behind her ears and tied her hair back in a ponytail. Elizabeth grabbed the meatballs and put them on the table along with the French bread.

Akemi kicked her feet a little as he finished and picked her up, putting her in her seat before pulling out a chair for Elizabeth.

She smiled at him as she sat down and he sat next to her. She reached over and squeezed his hand. He smiled, turning his hand over to squeeze hers back.

"Looks awesome, Elizabeth."

"Thanks, Mikey."

Splinter dished out some spaghetti onto his plate and passed the bowl to Leonardo.

"Mike, don't take all the meatballs," Elizabeth frowned at her brother-in-law.

"I can't help it you make the best meatballs."

"Well some of the rest of us want some too, Mike."

Michelangelo grinned sheepishly. "Sorry… "

Elizabeth sighed shaking her head.

"Hey take it as a compliment."

"From you? Mike you eat anything."

"Not anything."

"Ok, not anything but you're the least pickiest person I know when it comes to food."

"I love food."

"We know, chuckle head," Raph said rolling his eyes as he spooned four meatballs onto his own plate.

"Raph!"

Raphael grinned. "Well he 'as a point, 'Lizabeth. Ya do make da best meatballs."

"You are just as bad as he is." Elizabeth took the pan from him.

He chuckled as he sprinkled some parmesan cheese on top of his spaghetti.

Elizabeth shook her head as she put some tomato sauce and a few meatballs onto the plate of cut up spaghetti she'd prepared for Akemi, then added a piece of French bread.

"Akemi, do you want peas?"

"No, yucky."

"You like peas."

"No."

"I think you should try." Elizabeth said firmly as she spooned a few peas onto her daughter's plate and handed it to her.

Akemi scowled and began to flick the peas off her plate.

"Akemi, don't do that please."

"Peas are cucky."

"Eat them. Or you won't get ice cream."

Akemi pushed out her bottom lip and flicked another pea off her plate, it flew across the table and landed with a soft plop in Donatello's water glass.

He frowned, lifted his cup and looked at the floating pea.

"Akemi! Do you want a time out?" Elizabeth scowled at her daughter.

"No."

"Then you eat those peas!"

Akemi looked at the remaining peas on her plate and decided to try her spaghetti instead. Ignoring her fork she grabbed a handful of spaghetti and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Sorry, Don. I'll get you a clean cup."

"Don't worry about it, Elizabeth." Donatello smiled as he stood up and walked over to the sink, dumping the water out and rinsed the cup out a couple times before filling it with fresh water.

"I like meatballs," Akemi announced as she bit into a meatball, spilling sauce down her bib.

"Akemi, use your fork please."

"Don't like forks."

"Well use it even if you don't like it," Elizabeth gave her daughter a sharp look.

Akemi scowled but picked up the fork jamming it into one of her meatballs.

"Akemi, don't… " Elizabeth started, but then stopped. She sighed. Sometimes it was impossible to with Akemi. She had learned by now which battles were worth the fight and which weren't. Akemi was at least using the fork, that was all she could as for.

She felt Raphael's smirk on her and shot him an annoyed glance. He snorted with laughter.

"Don't look at me, she gets it from you," He said with a grin as he helped himself to some spaghetti.

"She's gotten all her stubbornness from you. You're teaching her bad habits."

"It ain't a bad t'ing. She ain't gonna let no one push 'er around when she gets older."

"I'll remember to tell you that when she's a teenager and we find her impossible to deal with," Elizabeth said dryly as she spooned sauce and meatballs onto her own spaghetti and reached for the parmesan cheese.

Across the table Leonardo couldn't hide the smile as he glanced at his brother. He caught Splinter's eye, who gave him a knowing smile and a slight nod. Raphael and Leonardo had both been hot headed in their teenage years. If Akemi was shaping up after Raphael, he was going to have his hands full with her.

Dinner continued in companionable silence as everyone enjoyed their food. After everyone was finished Elizabeth and Michelangelo gathered up the plates and took them to the sink. He began to cut up and start sliding slices of pie onto plates as Elizabeth scooped the ice cream out of the container she'd put it in and put a scoop on each plate. As she did Michelangelo would carry the plates over to the table, setting them down one by one in front of everyone.

Elizabeth handed the last plate to him and sat down, not taking a dessert for herself.

"You don't want any, Elizabeth?" Donatello asked as Elizabeth settled in her chair.

"Oh, no… trying to watch my weight." Elizabeth said lightly.

This struck Donatello as odd. Elizabeth had always been thin. From the corner of his eye he had seen Leonardo and Michelangelo pause, their forks halfway to their mouths as they looked at Elizabeth confused.

Raphael, however, didn't seem surprised or stunned by Elizabeth's words. Instead he put his fork down and glanced at her. "Guess we should tell 'em now?"

"I guess we should," Elizabeth said smiling. She reached out touching his arm. She cleared her throat and a touch of pink stained her cheeks.

"Tell us what?" Leonardo frowned, putting his fork down.

"Well, Raph and I are… um… well… "

"'Lizabeth is gonna 'ave a baby," Raphael finished for her.

There was a long pause, as if everyone was holding their breath. Elizabeth was suddenly uncertain, all eyes were on her.

"Really?" Donatello finally spoke.

Elizabeth met his chocolate brown eyes.

"Really, Don. I'm a few months along now."

It was as if an explosion had taken place in the kitchen. Suddenly there was a flurry of movements and Elizabeth found herself pulled into a warm familiar Michelangelo hug. She could hear Raphael's brothers slapping him on the shell, congratulating him on the new baby as well.

When Michelangelo let her go he jumped on his older brother making Raphael grunt in surprise and annoyance.

"Get offa me, ya chuckle head." Raphael grumbled as he shook him off.

Michelangelo grinned slapping Raphael's shell instead.

Elizabeth found herself wrapped up into a softer hug as Melinda joined in.

"I was wondering when you were going to tell everyone," She said softly. "I was having a hard time not telling Mikey."

"You knew?" Michelangelo asked surprised, trapped in the headlock Raphael had him in. He squirmed to get away and Raphael let him go.

Melinda smiled. "I had a good idea. I am a woman after all."

"She knew," Elizabeth smirked.

"Sorry, Mike. I wanted to tell you. I really did, but it was Elizabeth's news to tell."

Michelangelo glanced at Elizabeth then Melinda and smiled. Understanding.

"Wonder if it's gonna look like Raph… " Michelangelo said suddenly his face brightening as he grinned. "If its lucky it'll look like you, Elizabeth. I mean if it got stuck looking like Raph… "

Raphael growled and his hand caught Michelangelo on the back of the head with a loud smack.

"OW!"

Elizabeth laughed. "You asked for that one, Mike."


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm sorry I'm late again. I know. This week has just been crazy. I apologize. I'll try to be better about posting on time. Thank you for those who take the time to review. Have a good holiday. I'll be back for sure Sunday.**

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Raphael stretched, yawning as he stepped out onto the back porch, he felt his shoulder joints shifting and heard a pop and let his arms drop. He saw his brother shifting from the corner of his eye on the far side of the porch, leaning on the rail, a cup of tea in his hand, watching Akemi as she ran around in the field, pausing here and there to examine something interesting she'd found.

Elizabeth had told Akemi she could play out back by herself as long as she always stayed within view of the back porch. Raphael knew it was because Elizabeth didn't feel like Michelangelo should have to baby sit her all the time, and as long as Akemi stayed within view of the back porch they would be able to get to her quickly if she did run into trouble.

"Morning, Raph," Leonardo greeted as he shot Raphael a glance over his shoulder.

"Mornin'," Raphael yawned again and walked across the porch, stopping next to Leonardo, leaning on the railing. "How long she been out der?"

"Not sure, she was out here playing when I came out about five minutes ago."

Akemi paused and crouched then ran squealing as she chased something Raphael couldn't see.

After a few steps she stopped and picked a flower. She sat on the grass and began to pull the petals off. She paused, examining one thoughtfully.

"Akemi! I can see ya! Don't eat da flowers!" Raphael's response was automatic.

She frowned but let the petal fall to the ground.

Leonardo chuckled. "You have your hands full with one – you ready for two?"

"Don't know if anyone is ever really ready, Leo." Raphael said with a shrug.

"Guess not," Leonardo agreed as he finished the last of his tea. "Well… " He straightened and turned back to the house. "I'm gonna go for a run. Want to come along?"

Raphael nodded. He was getting a bit restless, and while he knew Leonardo would push for more endurance training while running, Raphael really wanted to stretch his muscles. And since he didn't have his punching bag and practice dummy, not that Don would let him use them anyway, not until his stitches were out anyway, going for a run with Leo was his only outlet.

Leonardo took his cup inside and washed it quickly. Raphael was already on the grass waiting for him, watching his adopted daughter thoughtfully for a minute.

"Ready?" Leo asked as he joined him.

Raphael nodded and the two brothers picked up a brisk, controlled even pace as they headed off for the woods.

* * *

Elizabeth glanced through the window, seeing Raphael and Leonardo heading off for what she presumed to be a training run together. She smiled as she dried Leonardo's tea cup and put it away then checked on her daughter again. Akemi was poking at the dirt with a small twig, drawing something with it.

"Morning, Elizabeth," Mikey yawned.

"Morning, Mike."

"What's for breakfast?"

"Just cereal today I'm afraid unless you want to cook something. It hasn't been one of my better mornings," Elizabeth said with an apologetic smile.

"That's ok," Michelangelo said easily as he pulled down a box of lucky charms. "Guess being pregnant does that to you huh?"

"Sometimes," Elizabeth agreed.

"Is there coffee?" Donatello asked as he joined them, yawning widely.

"I just started some a few minutes ago, Don. You're on your own for breakfast though." Elizabeth picked up her tea and took a sip, then made a face and dumped the rest of the contents down the drain.

"I know there is some wild spearmint out in the woods here, Elizabeth. It could help with the nausea. I tried to find it the first day we got here, but headed out too late. I could try looking for it again today if you'd like. I can get to work later."

"That would be great, Don. Thanks." Elizabeth said as she rubbed her belly gingerly.

"Hey, Elizabeth?" Michelangelo asked as he glanced out the window. "Where's Akemi?"

"She's in the back playing."

"I don't see her."

Elizabeth spun and looked out the window for herself. Michelangelo was right Akemi was gone.

Her eyes widened in horror and she darted around the counter and out the back door, Donatello and Michelangelo on her heels. All thoughts of breakfast and coffee forgotten.

* * *

Sabrina tossed a few weeds into the small trash can she'd brought out to her garden with her, wiping her hand across her sweaty brow. The summer sun was getting hot, too hot to be out here pulling weeds. She'd been out in her garden since day break, working tirelessly to rid it of the suffocating weeds to ensure a good crop.

On the other side of the garden gate Domino whined and stood up on his back feet, dropping a ball over the fence before dropping back to all fours, wagging his tail hopefully. Sabrina laughed. Domino had been doing this for the last hour.

"Ok, ok, you win," Sabrina said as she slowly got off her knees and ran her hands down her lower back. She was stiff from kneeling in the dirt for so long and her back ached from the curved position it had been in for most of the morning.

She stretched, allowing her tight muscles a break and pulled off the thick leather gloves she used when she worked out in her garden, tossing them next to the trash can for now. She walked over to the fence and picked up the ball where Domino had dropped it.

The Dalmatian stopped panting suddenly, his jaw snapping shut as his eyes focused on the ball in her hand, his long tail swishing through the grass furiously, kicking up a few pieces of the cut grass left behind from when she'd mowed the lawn yesterday.

Sabrina stepped over the garden fencing and onto the grass before throwing the ball across the yard for the eager dog. Domino raced after it, running as fast as his long slender legs would carry him, catching the ball after the first bounce. He skidded to a halt and turned, racing back to her with his prize, dropping it at her feet and sat waiting expectantly for her to throw it again.

Sabrina picked up the ball and threw it again for the dog, watching with a faint smile as he raced after it, again catching it after the first bounce. He raced back for her dropping the ball at her feet.

Sabrina threw the ball again, but as she watched Domino race after it he suddenly changed course, running instead for the back gate where he began to bark.

Chills ran down Sabrina's spine, remembering the odd shaped figure she'd seen in the trees just the day before. Had it found her? Did it know that she had seen that it wasn't human?

"Domino, here boy," Sabrina called, eager to get back into the safety of her house where she could lock the door and keep the creature out.

Domino ignored her jumping up at the gate as he continued to bark.

Tempted to hurry to the house and hope that Domino's over enthusiastic greeting would be taken more as an over protective dog than a friendly one was enough to encourage Sabrina to go inside. But she hesitated. She couldn't leave Domino out here if that creature had found her home. What if it was dangerous? She had to get Domino into the house.

"Domino! Here!" She called again, hoping the dog would obey.

Domino ignored her barking again, tail wagging furiously as he stared at the gate and whatever was on the other side.

Feeling her muscles tense in her anxiety Sabrina stiffly made her way over towards the dog. She reached out to grab the dog by the collar and snatch him back from the gate so she could get him into the house when she saw exactly what it was he was barking at. It wasn't the giant oddly shaped figure at all.

The girl couldn't be more than three or four at most. She had wide emerald green eyes and long dark brown curls that had been carefully pulled away from her face. She was wearing a blue tank top with black shorts that stopped just above her little knees. Both were scuffed with dirt as if she had fallen at least twice. Her hands were holding onto the gate now that Domino had settled and was sitting, wagging his tail, and Sabrina could see they were scraped and bleeding, though the color of the blood had dulled with the dirt that also covered her hands.

She was looking at Sabrina, eyes wide, obviously frightened.

"Where did you come from?" Sabrina asked as she opened the latched gate. Domino hurried forward at once but Sabrina caught his collar holding him back so as not to frighten the obviously terrified child any more than she already was. The dog seemed resigned but sat, whining softly.

Sabrina knew what few neighbors she had. She had been asked over to the Jensen's farm a few times to enjoy a meal or to visit with Sarah. Even the Shepherd's were friendly enough, though not quite as close. And then there was Crazy Mr. Hatchet as he was dubbed. He wasn't the friendliest person Sabrina had ever met, but he was the most paranoid. He'd sent his Doberman Pincher after her one morning before she'd adopted Domino, screaming something about monsters, big giant green ones. Sabrina had made sure to steer clear of his patch of land or anywhere near it after that, she still had the scar from the bite she'd received that morning on her ankle.

But as she went through her small list of neighbors she couldn't recall any of them having small children. A few of her neighbors did have children but they were all older than this child. The youngest one she knew was six.

She frowned, there was one neighbor that she hadn't met yet. Casey Jones and his wife April, according to Bob at the small grocery store in town Mr. Jones and his wife rarely came up to the farmhouse. They lived in the city where they spent most of their time, coming up from time to time when they needed a break from city life, but they never stayed long.

Perhaps they had come up for a visit and this was their daughter? It made sense. The Jones farm was the closest one to her own, with a couple miles of woods separating their properties. If their daughter had wandered off from their property she could have easily made her way through the woods to Sabrina's small cottage. Surely they would have noticed their daughter was missing, unless the family had gone off for a walk through the woods together and they weren't far behind.

Sabrina looked up expectantly, hoping to see these mysterious neighbors of hers coming through the trees to retrieve their daughter. But the woods were disappointingly silent and empty except for the few creatures that lived there.

Sabrina's eyes fell on the small child again who was looking at her scraped palms, a few tears rolling down her cheeks.

Sabrina crouched to the toddler's level trying to make herself less intimidating.

"Hi there, my name's Sabrina. What's your name?"

The toddler sniffed. Looking at Sabrina and then away, looking instead at Domino. He was still whining softly, but was sitting patiently, tail wagging. "Puppy."

Sabrina smiled. "You want to pet him? He's friendly I promise."

Emerald green eyes snapped to her face again, looking at her warily for a minute before she nodded slowly.

Sabrina looked at the girl's scraped bloody palms. "How about we clean up your hands and put some band-aids on those scrapes first?"

The toddler seemed to hesitate as she looked at Sabrina, her bright green eyes searching Sabrina's soft hazel ones. Then slowly, hesitantly she nodded.

Sabrina reached for the toddler automatically, the girl didn't protest as she was lifted into Sabrina's arms.

Domino gave a joyful bark, making the girl jump and whimper.

"Don't mind him. He's just noisy is all," Sabrina reassured. She felt the girl's arms wind around her neck, clinging as she carried her back to the house. Domino trotting along beside them.

Sabrina glanced once more back towards the woods as she reached her back steps, but still saw no one. She frowned as she carried the toddler inside.

Domino's nails clicked lightly as he trotted across the hard wood floor to his bed where he lay down with a sigh and began chewing on his rawhide bone.

"Pongo," the toddler said shyly.

"Ah, so you've seen the movie huh?" Sabrina smiled as she carried the girl down the hall to the bathroom so she could get her cleaned up. "He does look a bit like Pongo doesn't he?"

She set the girl down on the vanity, and turned on the water to let it start warming up as she grabbed some cloths from the small vanity cupboard.

She dampened one under the still slightly cool water and gently ran it over the toddler's face, removing the dirt and tear stains there. The toddler squirmed, pulling her face away and rubbed at her face with the back of her hand leaving a slight dirt smear across her cheek.

Sabrina let it be for now as she tested the water temperature again. It was warm, but not hot.

The toddler sniffed, looking at her hands thumping the drawers softly with the backs of her heels.

"So what's your name, sweetie?" Sabrina tried again as coaxed the toddler's hands under the warm water.

She whimpered as the water stung her scrapes and tried to pull them away. Sabrina gently, but firmly, kept them under the water as she washed them with some soap.

"Akemi… " She said at last.

"Akemi? I like that name its pretty," Sabrina turned off the water and gently dried the girl's hands with a towel. Grabbing some Neosporin she rummaged through the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and grinned as she found the Flintstones bandages she usually took to school for the children in her class.

"Want a Flintstones band-aid?"

Akemi nodded and offered her hands to Sabrina. Sabrina unwrapped a few bandages, applying some Neosporin to the soft padding on them and then applied them to Akemi's hands.

"Pet puppy now?"

"Of course," Sabrina agreed as she lifted the toddler and put her down on the floor.

Akemi glanced at her then hurried out of the bathroom, back towards the kitchen where she knew Domino was.

Sabrina tossed the soiled towels into the laundry hamper and the empty band-aid wrappers into the trash before following her down the hall.

Akemi had plopped herself next to Domino on the floor and was patting his head with the tips of her fingers, while Domino was trying eagerly to lick the rest of her hand.

"We should probably get you home. I'm sure your parents are worried about can bring Domino with us if you'd like. He loves going for car rides."

"Unky Mikey… "

"You're staying with your uncle?"

Akemi shook her head but petted Domino's head again.

Sabrina walked into the kitchen, opening the cookie jar and pulled out a couple cookies. She smiled as she offered one to Akemi who took it eagerly.

"Come on, let's get you home." Sabrina said as she lifted the toddler into her arms once again. "Domino, come… "

With an eager bark Domino abandoned his bed and hurried to the back door scratching at it excitedly.

"Silly puppy," Akemi said as she bit into her cookie.

"He can be," Sabrina agreed. She took Akemi out around the side of the house to her truck. Well Jensen's truck really. But she'd sold her car when the insurance for both vehicles had become too much for her limited income. She lowered the tailgate and Domino jumped up into the back and settled there, tail wagging as he wandered around the back of the truck, sniffing the metal looking for any trucks that might be hidden there.

Sabrina grunted as she forced the stiff heavy door open with a loud creak. The truck was old and was horrible on gas, Sabrina never really used it much. With the exception of going into town when she needed groceries and to school in the winter when it was too cold to ride her bike, Sabrina rarely used the truck in the summer.

It took her a few minutes to get Akemi strapped into the back seat. She didn't have a car seat for small children, she was sure Akemi was still required to ride in one, but it was only a couple miles down the road. She was sure Akemi would be fine for that short distance. If the Jones farm still looked vacated she would take the toddler into town to the police station and hope that they would be able to find her parents.

"Hi Pongo," Akemi said as the dog stuck his head into the small back window sniffing.

Sabrina climbed into the truck behind the wheel and turned the key, the engine groaned as if in protest as she pressed on the gas, pumping her foot up and down, trying to coax the engine into turning over.

The engine groaned again and then started up with a dull growling sound. Sabrina barely blinked, she was used to the old truck's protests by now. She waited just a few seconds before shifting the gear stick and headed out onto the old dirt road that surrounded her cottage.

She glanced back in the rear view mirror as she drove, checking on Akemi. She could tell that Domino had pulled his head back out of the window and had laid down in the truck bed now since he was no where to be seen. Akemi was looking out the window, stretching her neck as far as she could so she could see.

Sabrina pulled onto the winding road that would take her to the Jones farm, cringing a little as the road dipped and the truck bounced roughly.

_These roads really do need to be paved_, Sabrina thought automatically as her left front wheel hit another dip and the truck rocked forward roughly.

She glanced in the rear view and saw Akemi's face brighten when she saw the farmhouse come into view and felt her stomach unclench. Obviously Akemi recognized the farmhouse, and there was a car out front, along with a rather odd looking vehicle. Sabrina pull into the drive and stopped just behind the car, turning off the truck, which seemed to let out another groan of protest.

"Unky Mikey... gonna play bubbles," Akemi announced as Sabrina stepped out of the truck and lowered the front seat so she could get Akemi unbuckled and out of the truck.

"Stay, Domino." She commanded the dog, who had looked ready to jump out of the truck to join her.

With a soft whine of protest he sat down on the hard truck bed surface and watched her go.

Sabrina climbed up the front steps and could hear angry and worried voices from inside.

"We're wasting time we need to be out there looking!"

"We'll find her, Elizabeth, but we need to plan. If we split up and each of us searches certain areas around the farmhouse we won't be looking in areas we've already looked and we will cover more ground."

Elizabeth? That was odd she was sure Bob had told her that Casey's wife name was April.

Akemi squirmed in her arms and Sabrina set her down. She began to bang on the front door screen.

The voices inside were too loud to hear her tiny efforts so Sabrina pulled open the screen door and knocked loudly on the old wooden one.

The voices inside stopped at once.

There was a long pause and then the sound of someone heading for the front door. It opened with a groan, revealing a young woman, probably close to Sabrina's age with very long dark brown hair that had been pulled back into a ponytail. Her heart shaped face was pale, strained and her emerald green eyes were unmistakably Akemi's eyes. Sabrina had no doubt that she knew she was looking at Akemi's mother.

Seeing her daughter the color rushed back to the woman's face.

"Akemi!" She quickly grabbed her daughter's arms, pulling her up into her own, hugging her to her chest. Akemi buried her face into her mother's shirt, her arms winding around her neck. "Where have you been? We've been so worried."

"I make a bad choice, mommy."

"Yes you did, I told you to stay by the back porch. You had me worried sick. I didn't know where you'd gone or what had happened to you… "

"I sorry… "

Elizabeth kissed the side of her daughter's head and finally looked at the stranger that had brought her daughter home. "Thank you, thank you so much. "

"It was no trouble, really."

"Was she out by the road?" Elizabeth asked glancing at Sabrina's truck.

"No, I found her by my gate actually. I'm Sabrina Richards, your neighbor over to the east there. I have a small cottage just a couple miles away." She held out her hand and Elizabeth shifted her daughter so she could shake it.

"Elizabeth Hamato, and my daughter Akemi. My husband and I came up with our family for a vacation from the city for a while."

"Hamato?" Sabrina asked, frowning a little.

"Family friends of Casey Jones and his wife," Elizabeth explained quickly. "They let us use their farmhouse when we need a break from the city."

"Oh, I see. " Sabrina smiled. "Well, perhaps you and your family would like to come over for dinner sometime. "

To Sabrina's surprise Elizabeth hesitated. "I'll talk to my husband and see. But I think I should be the one inviting you over for dinner not the other way around. You did find my daughter after all."

"Think she found me actually. But really it was no trouble."

"I really do appreciate it." Elizabeth shifted her daughter again.

"Your welcome. I'd better get going, but it was nice to meet you, Elizabeth. And you too, Akemi."

Akemi smiled shyly at her.

Elizabeth nodded. "You as well, Sabrina. Thanks again."

Sabrina nodded and turned, but as she did she saw something large, and oddly shaped emerging from the shadows in the house as Elizabeth closed the heavy wooden door. Something that looked oddly familiar. Just like the shape she'd seen out in the woods the other day.

Startled she hurried down the front steps and back to her truck, gripping the wheel tightly as she turned the key, trying to coax the engine into turning over again. It groaned and died.

"Oh come on don't do this to me," Sabrina begged as she pumped the gas and turned the key again.

The engine grumbled, started and died once more.

Sabrina bit her lip as she tried it again without any more success than the first two times.

A slight movement caught her attention and she saw something move away from an upstairs window. Too fast for her to really catch what it was. Her teeth cut into her lip as she turned the key again but this time there was a dull clunking sound and nothing else.

"No… " Sabrina groaned as she put her head on the steering wheel. "Lousy piece of… " She sighed and turned the key once more only to get the same results.

A soft knock at her window startled her, she hadn't seen anyone come out of the house. But suddenly Elizabeth was there.

Sabrina cursed herself for selling her car that had the automatic windows and was a lot more reliable than her brother's truck as she grabbed the handle and began to roll down the stiff window, only able to get it down halfway before it stuck and refused to move at all.

Great just great.

Elizabeth's smile was friendly. "Car problems?"

"Old truck – there is always something wrong with it."

"Want me to give you a lift home? My brother-in-law offered to look at your truck for you. He's really good with these kinds of things."

"He knows about '67 models?"

"If it has moving parts and can be fixed trust me, Donatello can fix it."

"I'd really appreciate it. But I don't have a lot of money… "

"We aren't asking for any. Seriously, it's the least we can do."

"Oh… " Sabrina said startled. "Well, thank you that is very nice." She tried to coax the window back up but it refused to budge. She sighed and opened the door, jumping down lightly and shut the door. She pulled her house key off the key ring and handed the keys to Elizabeth.

"I'll go give these to, Donny and grab my keys and I'll be right out." Elizabeth's fingers folded around the keys. "You can get your dog down and get him in the back of the car. Its unlocked."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth nodded and hurried back up to the house as Sabrina made her way around to the truck bed and lowered the tailgate.

"Ok, boy, come on. Hop down."

The Dalmatian willingly obliged, sniffing at the ground curiously, tail wagging happily as he checked out his new environment.

Sabrina caught his collar and led him over to the smaller of the two vehicles she had seen when she'd pulled into the drive.

As promised the doors were open. She pulled open the back door and gently urged the dog into the back seat. He jumped in willingly enough and sat next to the car seat.

Sabrina hesitated then opened the passenger door and climbed in herself.

It only took Elizabeth a couple minutes to presumably give Sabrina's keys to her brother-in-law and grab her own. She hurried down the front steps and around the car to the driver's seat.

"Sorry, Akemi got a little clingy. Its getting close to her nap time so I gave her to her father." Elizabeth apologized as she stuck the key into the ignition and turned it, bringing the car to life with a soft humming noise.

"No problem," Sabrina reassured.

Elizabeth eased out from between the two cars that were parked in front and behind her and headed down the dirt drive.

"So how long will you guys be here?" Sabrina asked, scratching Domino's chin as he stuck his head up between the two seats.

"Oh, we aren't sure yet. A couple weeks maybe. Might be more, might be less," Elizabeth said carefully as she headed down the dirt road Sabrina had come on.

"So your brother-in-law is a mechanic, what does your husband do?"

A muscle along Elizabeth's jawline twitched. She shot Sabrina a look from the corner of her eye before returning her eyes to the road.

"Criminal justice. He works a lot of late nights," she said after a long pause. "Actually all of them work together. Don just does the mechanical stuff on the side. It's a hobby of his. He also works part time as tech support for a computer company, answering customer calls and e-mails."

"He sounds like he keeps busy, working two jobs."

"Its hard to get him out of his… office at home sometimes," Elizabeth admitted with a slight smirk.

Sabrina hadn't missed her hesitation but decided not to comment on it. "Well I really appreciate him looking at the truck. I don't drive it that often, but it hasn't been the first time the thing has broken down on me, cost me a lot to have it fixed last time. More than it's worth really."

"But you don't want to sell it?"

"No. It's my brother's, doesn't feel right to sell it. My house is just right here on the right."

Elizabeth pulled up in front of the little cottage, shifting the car into park.

"Well now that we've met don't be strangers," Sabrina smiled at Elizabeth. "I'd really enjoy having your family over for dinner sometime."

"I'll let you know," Elizabeth promised. "And we'll drop the truck off after Donny has finished with it. Thank you again for your help with Akemi today, I don't know what I would've done."

"She is lucky she wandered off towards my side of the woods – you should keep her away from Mr. Hatchet over to the west side – he doesn't like trespassers, he's the most paranoid person I've ever met. He keeps insisting that giant monsters roam around these woods when no one is looking, sets bear traps out to catch them sometimes. He claims he caught one on video about ten years ago. " Sabrina snorted in obvious disbelief as she pushed open the passenger side door.

"I'll do that," Elizabeth said as Sabrina opened the rear door for the Dalmatian to climb out.

"Nice meeting you, Elizabeth." Sabrina gave her a final smile before closing the door and heading up to the house with Domino at her side.

Elizabeth watched her go then headed back to the farmhouse, she had a daughter to deal with, and questions for Raphael.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys I am afraid I will have to take a break from posting for a couple weeks. My horse and I went down yesterday. She took a bad trip at a canter and went to her knees while I was launched over her head. My arm and shoulder were badly sprained and are confined to a sling for now. Hopefully just for a couple weeks. In the meantime typing takes me forever. Please be patient I will be back again when I can be. Thanks for understanding in advance Enjoy this next chapter. And thanks to those who take the time to review.**

* * *

**Chapter 17 **

Donatello wiped his hands on the greasy, oily rag as he headed into the house. Smears of oil, dirt and even a few flecks of rust clung to his plastron. He headed for the kitchen, intending to get another cup of coffee before grabbing a shower and answering a few client e-mails before getting back to work on Sabrina's truck. He already knew though that he would need a few replacement parts. After a few calls with the closest auto parts shop he'd been frustrated to realize they would need to be ordered in, which would take at least a week.

Elizabeth was sitting at the kitchen table as he entered the kitchen, a cup of tea in her hands. From the tense muscles along her jawline and stiff posture he was sure that she and Raphael had argued again. He sighed. They had been arguing almost non stop for the past few days.

Elizabeth was worried, and with good reason. She had a point when she said Akemi could have easily followed that bunny she had been chasing in the opposite direction towards Mr. Hatchet's house, where, if what Sabrina had said was true, there could be dangerous concealed traps that Akemi could have stepped in.

Raphael had just brushed it off, insisting that they would keep a closer eye on her from then on.

"You alright, Elizabeth?" Donatello asked as he reached for a mug in the cupboard.

"I guess," Elizabeth said as she frowned into her tea cup. She sighed, looking out the window where Akemi was happily chasing bubbles around the back porch, trying to pop them before they had the chance to pop by themselves. She saw Raphael catch her, tossing her into the air to catch a bubble that had flown out of her reach. She squealed delighted.

"Don, do you think Raphael is right? Am I just being paranoid and over protective?"

"No, you're being a mom," Donatello made a face at the last few drops of drying coffee and took the pot over to the sink, washing and drying it before grabbing the can of coffee from the pantry along with a filter so he could start a new pot.

"Which Raphael seems to classify as being the same thing," Elizabeth's mouth turned down in a scowl.

"You know what Master Splinter would say, Elizabeth," Donatello gazed at the woman. He saw Elizabeth draw a deep breath.

"It isn't wise to dwell on things that could have been, but rather the way things are."

"He has a point, Elizabeth. Akemi could have been hurt, but the fact is she wasn't. She's ok, she's home safe. That is what's important isn't it?"

"Of course it is, I just worry with her going into the woods with Mikey… "

"Mike won't let her near anything dangerous. She'll be ok. "

"You're right. I know you're right. Raph is right too. I just need to… " She shook her head as if to clear it of some of the last troubling thoughts she had there. "How's the truck coming?"

"Still have quite a bit of work to do. It'll be easier once those parts come in."

"The man said he ordered them yesterday. I paid to have them rushed."

"You really shouldn't have to pay for all this, Elizabeth," Donatello said frowning.

"Don, please, we've been over this. "

"It just doesn't seem right."

"It's not as if we're strapped for cash. I've put more than enough money away for Akemi's college fund, and there's more money than we could possibly need, even with a new baby on the way. Helping Sabrina get her truck fixed seems like a small favor in return for Akemi."

"Wonder how she knew Akemi was staying here though," Don said thoughtfully.

"She has probably lived here a while, knows the neighbors. I'm sure she would know if any of them had children around Akemi's age. She probably took a guess and went with it. "

"Maybe," Don glanced at the coffee maker, seeing the coffee was done he poured himself a cup and sipped at the hot beverage. "Well, I'd better go grab a shower. Need to get at least a few e-mails answered today. I can get back to work on her truck after dinner tonight."

"I don't think there was a rush to get it finished, Don. She didn't seem worried about it."

"Maybe… but I won't be able to finish it until I get those parts in anyway."

"It was nice of you to offer, Don."

He gave her a small smile as he took his coffee and left the kitchen. Elizabeth sighed watching him go.

* * *

Donatello sighed, leaning back in his chair, stretching. He reached for his coffee cup but was surprised to find it empty. He could've sworn it had been full a few seconds ago. He blinked, and stood up, feeling a few stiff joints pull in protest as he did.

A soft knock at the door had him turning. Elizabeth was there coming in with a plate.

"You missed dinner, guess you had a lot of work to catch up on huh?"

"Lost track of time," Don admitted as Elizabeth set down a plate of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

"Well I kept the plate warm for you, I figured you probably had a lot of work to do when you didn't come when we called you."

"Don't even remember that," Don admitted rubbing the back of his head.

"Don, you need to start getting more sleep at night. You've been working too many late nights lately. With everything that's been going on at home, and worried about your job here… "

"I'm fine, Elizabeth," Don said firmly.

"Ok… " Elizabeth said doubtfully. She studied him for a minute making him shift and look away. "There's some pudding in the fridge if you want some. Akemi told me to tell you its best if you put chocolate chips and potato crisps in it."

Donatello chuckled. "I'll remember that."

Elizabeth smiled. "Well, some of us are going to go for a walk. We'll wait for you if you want to come… "

"Oh, no thanks, Elizabeth," Donatello said waving off the invitation. "Think I should probably finish up this last e-mail and then I'll get back to work on Sabrina's truck."

"Don, an hour wouldn't… " Elizabeth stopped. There was no point in arguing with Don when he felt like he had work to do. "Ok, we'll see you later then." She squeezed his arm gently, then left the room.

Donatello sighed as he returned to his laptop, finishing the e-mail he'd started for a very disgruntled customer. After promising to be in contact with the customer soon, Donatello hit the send button before standing up and grabbing the plate Elizabeth had left for him. It had gone cold. He sighed and took it back to the kitchen, putting it in the microwave to warm it as he started a fresh pot of coffee.

The smell of fresh hot coffee began to perfume the kitchen and Don felt himself settling as he let the familiar scent wash over his senses. Perhaps he would take tomorrow off. One day wouldn't hurt anything. Maybe he'd go find that spearmint for Elizabeth instead. Or he'd see if there were any interesting mushrooms or other specimens he could study.

The thought was very appealing. Perhaps Elizabeth was right. He spent too much time working and not enough time just doing enjoyable things. A day or two wouldn't matter one way or the other.

Don turned as the microwave pinged, announcing that his food was hot. He gingerly pulled the plate out of the microwave and poured himself a cup of coffee before he sat down to eat it.

A trace of incense wafted from downstairs as he finished his chicken and he was sure Splinter was upstairs meditating. The rest of the house was quiet, so he was sure that everyone, even Leonardo had gone on that walk through the woods. Though it made it easier for him to get some work done since Michelangelo wouldn't come out to pester him when he got bored. Of course those days weren't as frequent as they used to be, not since Michelangelo had found Melinda. Usually he would pester her first, and she was always willing to spend time with him.

Donatello smiled as he took his plate to the sink and washed it then set it in the rack to dry, pouring himself another cup of coffee and headed out to the barn to go work on Sabrina's truck again. He would feel better about not working on it tomorrow if he at least tightened the distributor cap and checked the spark plug. He had a feeling that could be causing part of the problem.

* * *

Sabrina headed up the path to the Jones' farm, holding a couple jars of her homemade jam. It seemed the least she could do to repay Elizabeth's brother-in-law for the free work on her truck, and as a way to welcome them here, for now anyway. Her jams were quite popular with the neighbors. It was the reason Sabrina loved having a garden, so she could make her own jams.

As the house came into view she was surprised to see it looked dark. She frowned. Had they left? But no both cars were still parked in front of the house. Her truck, however, wasn't.

Very confused now Sabrina stepped lightly up the front steps and knocked on the heavy wooden door sharply with her knuckles.

There was no sound from inside. No voices. No footsteps. There was silence.

She knocked again but got the same results.

She hesitated biting her lip. She couldn't just leave the jams on the porch. But it looked as if they weren't home. She would probably have to come back in the morning.

She sighed and turned walking back down the front steps, pausing when she heard something, a clatter, coming from the barn. The doors were partially open and the light was on. She glanced back at the door once more. Perhaps she could just stop by the barn and ask them to put the jams in the fridge. In this warm weather it should be kept refrigerated.

Her shoes barely made any noise as she made her way to the barn thanks to the soft weeds that had grown up here and there along the dirt path. She hesitated for only a second before entering the barn.

She froze. Her truck was here, the hood propped open, and someone, or rather something was leaning over the front of it. But this something wasn't anything Sabrina expected, or had ever imagined.

The figure had olive colored skin and what looked like a giant shell? He shifted, stretching his arm out to the side to grab a wrench with a three fingered hand…

The jars she was holding fell from numb hands, making the creature jump, startled, and it turned to look at her, his hand shooting up and back towards its shell as if it was reaching for something that wasn't there, its eyes wide behind the purple mask on its face.

Its movement was so quick that Sabrina's first instinct was to get away from it, quickly. But her legs wouldn't work. She was frozen there. Staring at this giant… turtle.

She saw emotions flicker across its face, surprise, shock and then fear. She felt her stomach tighten. There was nothing more dangerous than a cornered animal, and it was cornered. She was blocking its exit out of the barn.

As she watched the creature's skin seemed to go a bit gray, as if it had gone pale and she saw its throat bob a little as it swallowed hard.

"Wait… " His voice sounded dry, choked and stressed.

Sabrina hadn't expected it to actually speak. But surely if the thing could pick up a wrench it was intelligent.

"Wait… please I can explain. I promise I'm not a monster… or an alien… "

Sabrina blinked her breath catching in her chest.

The creature put the wrench back in the tool box and held out his hands as if to show her he was unarmed.

Sabrina swallowed hard and tried to remember how to make her body work.

"Y…you're a turtle… " Her voice sounded dry, weak, even in her own ears.

His hands dropped as he looked at her, the chocolate brown eyes behind his mask seemed to study her for a minute thoughtfully. "Yes," he finally said, his voice soft, careful, so as not to scare her more than she already was. "I am. I'm a mutant, my name is Donatello."

"Donatello? As in Elizabeth's brother-in-law Donatello?"

He said nothing to that but seemed to be wary now.

"You… " Sabrina swallowed hard trying to steady herself, curling her fingers into her palm to stop them from shaking. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this. For any of this. She glanced at her exposed truck's engine. "You know about trucks?"

She saw the turtle relax slightly and his mouth twitched as if he wanted to smile, but wasn't sure if that would scare her more or not.

"A little," he said lightly.

"You mind if I… " She gestured to the truck.

"No, course not," He took a step back so she could reach the truck.

Giving the turtle a wide berth Sabrina approached the truck, looking at the exposed engine and all the other complicated parts that she had never fully understood.

"You know what's wrong with it?"

"A little, I'm still waiting on some parts to come in, but your distributor cap was loose and it looks like your oil filter cap was cracked. Its why there's so much oil everywhere. Whoever changed your oil last didn't do a very good job at changing that."

Sabrina frowned a little. "What does that mean – the cracked cap that is?"

"Well see, as you drive your car your motor oil lubricates the engine components. Motor oil helps keep things clean and helps keep your engine cool. If there is a crack in the cap then it's like having a paper cut. Every time oil is pumped a few squirts will spray here and there, which puts oil where it shouldn't belong and drains it from where it does belong. I've ordered a new part, but it'll be a few days before it gets here since they had to order it in."

Sabrina looked at him and Donatello felt his breath catch in his throat. Her hazel eyes were unlike any eyes he'd ever seen. They were fascinating, not one simple color… he blinked and forced himself to look away.

He cleared his throat. "I've checked a few other things while I was in here. The truck is in really good shape considering the year it was made, it's obviously been well taken care of."

Sabrina nodded. Jensen had loved this truck, he had always made sure it was in good condition.

She pulled back looking at the turtle again, watching as his muscles rippled underneath his skin as he moved, his motions were so fluid. So smooth. So graceful. She blinked and looked up at his face again, wondering why she wasn't more alarmed. Why she wasn't more scared?

He seemed uncertain as he looked back at her, his chocolate brown eyes had taken on that wary look again.

"I really appreciate this. I can't really afford a mechanic… "

"Your welcome. It's no trouble really."

"I'm sorry, I haven't properly introduced myself. I'm being rude. I'm Sabrina Richards." She held her hand out towards him, surprising him.

Donatello lifted his hand to take it, but drew back quickly, shocking her.

"Sorry, I'm covered in grease," He apologized. He grabbed a dirty rag, wiping his hands on it.

She smiled as she let her hand drop.

"Do you mind if I ask how you… " She paused when his chocolate brown eyes snapped to her face again.

"How I became a five foot tall, bipedal talking turtle?" He prompted.

"Well that, but I was going to say learned about mechanics like this. My guess is that you didn't go to school to learn about it."

Donatello laughed, the sound soft, almost shy. But his smile was warm. Sabrina noticed that his face had gone a bit darker green and was surprise to realize he was blushing.

"No, I didn't. I'm self taught for the most part. That and the internet, and books."

"Really?" Sabrina was fascinated.

"Well, like you pointed out I couldn't just stroll into a random school and ask to take a car shop class could I?"

It was Sabrina's turn blush.

Donatello forced himself not to stare. He cleared his throat and looked away from her, picking up his empty coffee mug. "Would you like a cup of coffee? We can talk."

Sabrina felt a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Despite what he was, she wasn't afraid. There was something about his calm personality that stifled any fears she felt she should have had.

"I'd love a cup of coffee."

Donatello lowered the hood of the truck and led her out of the barn. He'd clean up the broken glass from the jars she had dropped in the morning.

* * *

Sabrina shifted on the couch, she couldn't remember the last time she had been so caught up in a conversation with another adult. Most of her fellow teachers were married and some unhappily so. They would always gripe about the things their husbands had done the night before. It was never a topic Sabrina could relate to. She couldn't understand why people who were so unhappy in their marriages would stay with the person they couldn't stand to be around. And while Donatello's scientific talk was over her head in some aspects, she found him pleasant and enjoyable to talk to.

"So you and your brothers really are into criminal justice?"

The corner of Donatello's mouth turned up into a smile. "We're ninja. We follow the code of bushido."

"Now what's bushido?"

"It's a code of honor. A way of life really. There are seven virtues that we follow in the code of Bushido."

"Really?"

Donatello nodded and then grabbed a small pad of paper and a pen and began to draw odd symbols onto it.

"Each symbol is a different virtue," he explained as he drew, naming each as he drew them. "Gi, yu, jin, rei, makoto, meiyo and chu. Or Rectitude, courage, benevolence, respect, honesty, honor and loyalty."

Sabrina frowned at the strange symbols. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Donatello looked at her, his eye ridges pulling together. "What is it you don't understand?"

"Why you would fight so hard to protect a city when there are people out there that would never understand who you guys really are. Who look at the outside, but wouldn't give a second thought to figuring out who you really were on the inside."

"It's who we are. We have the power to protect those who need it, so we do it. As Master Splinter says, we strike hard and fade away into the night. Most of the time they don't even realize what's happened until after we're gone."

"You and your brothers are incredible people, Donatello."

"Actually it's Donny or just Don. That's what everyone else calls me anyway." He smiled.

"Don then. I've never met anyone like you before, Don." She lifted her cup of coffee and glanced at the clock. "Oh my goodness. Is it that late already?"

Donatello glanced at the clock as well and then back at Sabrina who had gotten to her feet and was taking her cup to the kitchen, he stood up and followed. "I really should be getting home, I still need to feed Domino. "

"Would you like some company?"

The words were out before Donatello was even conscious of thinking them. Immediately he felt himself get hot.

Sabrina smiled as she rinsed out her cup. "I'd like that actually. If you wouldn't mind. The woods can be… creepy at night. They come alive."

"Can't be worse than the streets of New York."

"I suppose you are used to different kinds of predators," Sabrina's eyes twinkled with humor.

"Something like that." Donatello agreed as he set his own empty cup onto the counter.

"I am sorry about dropping those jams too, I'll bring some new ones. I promise not to drop those ones tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Oh… well, unless you're busy. But I thought maybe I could watch, maybe help with the truck?"

"Oh, well actually I was going to go look for some wild spearmint I know I've seen out here somewhere. Take a break from all the work I've been doing. Elizabeth is right when she says work too much."

"Oh, well I do know where the wild spearmint grows. I could show you - if you'd like some company."

Donatello looked at her, surprised by the way she was looking at him. As if he would suddenly disappear right before her eyes. As if her world had taken a sudden awkward turn, but afraid that it would turn back, and she didn't want it to.

"That would be great… " Don said, trying a smile.

She smiled back, it stunned him and he felt breathless. Whoa. Something fluttered in his chest, like butterflies were beating against his rib cage. He tried to shake off the feeling, ignore it. She was just being friendly was all.

He opened the back door for her, and followed her down the back steps. The sun was touching the far horizon and the bright reds and oranges in the sky had begun to change to darker purples. He knew the others would be back soon. He wasn't sure what Leonardo would think. Leonardo was always so careful. He knew his brother wouldn't be happy that he had let his guard down enough that Sabrina had managed to surprise him in the barn.

"So you're a school teacher?"

"Fourth grade," Sabrina said nodding.

"You like it?"

"Some things I like. Others I could do without."

Donatello frowned. "Like what?"

"Oh, parents these days. They just don't seem that interested in their kids. It seems like they have more important things than their kids. I just don't understand some people." She tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, frowning at the ground as they entered the trees.

"So they don't help their kids with their school work or… " Don prompted.

"It's more than that. It's… well for example I had a little boy Ezra in my class last year. Always acting out. He even got into a fight with Benjamin at recess and bit him. His mom died a few years ago and his father never came to parent-teacher conferences, whenever we called him with some of the issues Ezra had he would tell us that it was our problem. He always had excuses for Ezra's bad behavior. It was never Ezra's fault. Things just escalated all year. The principal finally had to suspend him. But even that didn't seem to get through to his father. He blamed us for that."

Donatello shook his head. He didn't understand some people.

"Elizabeth seems different though. I can tell she spends more time with Akemi. She loves her very much. She's very attentive to her daughter's needs. So she'll be one of the parents that teachers like. The one who is always there for her kids."

"She and Raph both love Akemi. Raph is raising her like she's his own. "

"Not to sound rude, but how did he and Elizabeth meet? I mean I get the feeling that meeting you guys is a rare privilege."

"We don't normally show ourselves to humans," Donatello admitted carefully. "But Raphael found Elizabeth in the park. He stopped her from being killed by a couple serial murderer-rapists. She was shot so he brought her back to the lair for medical help after she insisted that he not call the cops or take her to a hospital. I wasn't sure if I could help her… "

"Whoa, you know medicine as well?"

"Our father Master Splinter insisted that we learn how to do some basic first aid when we were in our teens. He told us that he wouldn't always be there to patch us up if we needed it. I asked my friend April to get me some more extensive medical books and I looked up some things on the internet. I thought it would probably be wise to have as much knowledge as possible, just in case something happened. With what we do… well you can never tell what will happen. We came up here because a couple gangs in New York have teamed up, and the last fight we had was hard. Leo and Raph were both hurt. Leo's wound was the worst of the two, a bad break at the elbow, but it could've been worse. "

"So you're good with cars, you can read and understand complicated science journals, you have medical knowledge, and you go out and defend those who can't defend themselves with your family at night. Is there anything you can't do?"

Donatello smirked. "A few things. I'm not a very good cook."

Sabrina paused and Donatello stopped too looking at her. "This is my gate," Sabrina said smiling.

"Oh… " Donatello blinked. Looking at the back yard. It seemed well cared for, trimmed, and he could smell something sweet in the air here. Lilac? He had noticed the smell clung to Sabrina. It was nice.

"What time did you want to go look for the spearmint tomorrow? And did you want to meet me here? Or did you want me to meet you at the farmhouse?"

"Um, around nine? Leo insists on early morning training, and I don't function that well in the morning without at least one cup of coffee. How about I meet you here?"

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow at nine." Sabrina agreed. She smiled and opened the gate. "Thank you for walking me home, Don."

He nodded and watched her walk to the house. As she opened the back door he saw her turn and gaze back into the blackness, her eyes falling somewhere off to his right, her mouth twitched then she stepped inside where an overly excited dog was barking. She shut the door and he heard the lock click.

He sighed and turned, picking up a jog as he headed back to the farmhouse.


End file.
